Today is Super Tuesday and 22 states — including New York — will vote in the Presidential primary election. After holding “voter blitzes” to register students in the fall, Binghamton’s chapter of the New York State Public Interest Group has been working overtime to raise the youth voting rates in the state.

According to Jeff Starr, Binghamton’s NYPIRG project coordinator, the group focused on getting students to register in Binghamton.

“That way, students don’t have to deal with absentee ballots and we can also make copies of the registration forms to make sure no problems occur,” Starr said. “We also make sure that people remember to vote by calling them on Monday night and reminding them.”

CIRCLE, the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, released figures on the participation of youth voters, ages 18 to 29, in primary elections thus far this year. Florida yielded the least youth participation in their election on Jan. 29, with 5 percent, while Nevada boasted the highest turnout with 43 percent on Jan. 8.

The top two reasons listed why youth voters didn’t register to vote in 2004 was a lack of interest in the election and politics, and not meeting registration deadlines. For those who did register, 27 percent did so at a DMV, 14 percent did by mail and 13 percent didn’t know where they registered, while the remaining percentage did so at schools, drives, polling places and other such locations.

Starr said NYPIRG doesn’t aim to register students in a specific party, but just wants to get students to head to the polls today.

“We’re a non-partisan organization, we don’t care who you vote for, just that you vote,” Starr added.

NYPIRG, according to its Web site, is “a nonpartisan, not-for-profit group established to effect policy reforms while training students and other New Yorkers to be advocates.”

The organization has 21 chapters on various college campuses throughout New York in which they advocate that students get informed and involved in governmental processes.

For those who are registered to vote in Binghamton, there will be polling areas set up in the Old University Union on Tuesday starting at 9 a.m.