As the 2024 presidential election nears, a small group of students gathers in Royce Hall to examine voter turnout.

Communication 19: “Voter Participation and Engagement in 2024 Election” – a discussion-based Fiat Lux class offered for the first time this quarter – covers factors influencing voter registration, citizen engagement and polarization in the United States, said Georgia Kernell, the class’s instructor and a former member of the ASUCLA Communications Board, which publishes the Daily Bruin.

“This one’s going to focus on turnout because that’s something that we can approach from all different angles and learn about and compare with other countries, compare across time,” Kernell said.

Kernell, an associate professor of communication and political science, said she wanted to teach the class because 2024 is a major election year, adding that it would be valuable for students to analyze the intricacies of voter participation. She said the class will provide a structured method to have ongoing conversations about elections.

Since Communication 19 is a Fiat Lux course – a one-unit course with around 20 students – its structure can be more flexible and creative than that of a typical class, Kernell said.

Sophie Wimmer, a first-year undeclared student, said she took the class because of her growing interest in politics, adding that she looks forward to hearing other students’ perspectives throughout the course.

Wimmer also said the class has helped her better understand UCLA’s political landscape, including where to vote and how students feel about the election. She added that she has come to view UCLA as an inclusive, respectful community.

Parker Powers, a first-year biochemistry student, said that once the class concludes, she believes she will feel more prepared to vote and encourage others to do the same.

She added that she enrolled in the course because it differs from her major and hoped it would offer a bipartisan perspective on the election.

The class’s first session included a brainstorming activity on the factors that influence voter turnout, Kernell said. Students discussed individual-level factors such as age, education and resources, as well as broader contextual factors such as election competitiveness and voter accessibility, she said.

Later classes focused on comparing polarization in the U.S. with that of other countries, exploring factors that drive activism and analyzing experimental voter outreach data, Kernell said.

“Learning a bit more about what’s going on in the rest of the country is helpful for people to have empathy and also to be more effective as activists in trying to increase participation,” Kernell said.

Kaera Mishenkov Mitchen, a third-year data theory student, said the class offers different insight from her area of study. She added that she is excited to see how the class complements her statistics background by examining the communication aspect of voter participation.

Mishenkov Mitchen said she is excited for the class discussions after the election, adding that she is looking forward to analyzing and studying voter turnout in the 2024 election in real time.

“It’s so unique to take a Fiat Lux on voting in the middle of a major election – to see how that all plays out from the lens of the classroom,” Mishenkov Mitchen said.

Kernell said by the end of the class, she hopes students will understand what motivates people to vote and what factors discourage participation, adding that she wants students to learn how to actively engage in a campaign.

Nikitha Ambatipudi, a second-year computer engineering student, said in a written statement that through class discussions, she has been inspired to participate in voter turnout efforts, such as get-out-the-vote drives and making phone calls to voters in swing states with reminders about the upcoming election.

“This class has shown me how easy it is to get involved in voting efforts in the community and I’m excited to get to work,” Ambatipudi said in the statement.