The polls at Coffman Union were quiet Tuesday morning.

From 10 a.m. to noon, fewer than 20 people cast ballots at the campus primary polling site.

Political parties of all sorts court young voters, but their presence, especially in primaries, is scarce, political officials said.

“We generally see lower involvement in the primary election, but a very high involvement in the general election which is the most critical one,” said Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

Byron Backes, a computer engineering sophomore, said he would not vote in the primary because he didn’t think he was informed enough.

“I will be voting in the regular election because it’s important,” he said. “You get to have a say in the government and you also can see big changes in the regular elections.”

Alicia Steele, event organizer with the Twin Cities League of Young Voters, said she thinks young voters can have a big impact on elections – if they vote.

“In Minnesota, we (young voters) are 21 percent of the population and, especially with these close elections we’ve been having lately, (that’s) a nice percentage to swing an election,” Steele said.

She said poor education contributes to the lower number of young voters.

“People forget about what is important, like community and getting involved,” Steele said.

Jess McIntosh, Minnesota DFL communications director, said she thinks the student vote is important and has tried to reach out and get students out in big numbers.

The party is using its Minnesota Youth DFL program to register and reach out to new voters, she said. The party started the youth-focused campaign earlier this summer.

“There is no one specific message that resonates with young voters, whether they’re dealing with all the problems caused by the current administration or they will be.” McIntosh said.

It’s difficult for students to vote and educate themselves about the issues while making huge life changes, she said.

College Republicans Director Trevor Ford said the youth vote can have a huge impact, citing Republican Sen. Norm Coleman’s election.

“If you want to have your voice heard, then you have to go vote and get everyone who feels like you to vote to effect any change,” Ford said.

He said he thinks students don’t vote because many don’t know where to go or when the elections are. And students from other states don’t know how to vote, absentee or here, he said.

To remedy that, Ford said, the College Republicans have been canvassing campus, distributing voter registration cards.

University DFL President Noah Seligman said he hopes students of all parties voted Tuesday.

“Students voting in high numbers helps the University of Minnesota, specifically,” he said.

A large turnout can bring attention to University issues like the “huge” increases in tuition and funding cuts, Seligman said.

University first-year student Julian Baultrippe headed to Coffman Union to vote Tuesday morning. Now a two-time voter, he said he believes his peers should be more involved in the election process.

“I think it’s important for young students to vote,” Baultrippe said. “I’d recommend that if students have time and are willing to vote, they should take the time out of their schedule to vote.”