Scores of students at Bemidji State University cast their first-ever ballots Tuesday.

A series of informal on-campus polling place interviews yielded a variety of preferred candidates up and down the ballot, but an overriding belief in the importance of voting itself.

Hockey player Ian Janco said he voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton because he disagreed with Republican Donald Trump’s “antics.”

“I don’t really like how he carries himself,” Janco said of the Republican nominee, while Beaver teammates Daniel Billett and Justin Baudry stood nearby.

Billett said he voted for Trump because he couldn’t trust Clinton.

“Her track record is not the best as being a trustworthy person,” Billett said. “I don’t want her running the nation.”

Baudry, a Manitoba native, could not vote in Tuesday’s election.

BSU freshman Evan Heather said he voted for Trump, too, but supported some down-ballot DFLers.

“The farmer-labor I think I have values with,” Heather said. He added that he wasn’t particularly excited or nervous before he voted for the first time.

Junior Olivia Straley said she voted for Clinton and all the current state Supreme Court justices. A St. Cloud native, she said she didn’t vote in the Bemidji mayor or City Council races because they don’t affect her as much.

Alex Elness, a junior and Trump voter, said he voted for incumbent Mayor Rita Albrecht because he thinks she’s doing a good job.

Fellow junior Rachael Ernst said she voted the same as Elness.

When asked about the importance of voting, many gave answers straight out of civics class, ranging from fulfilling civic duty to having their opinion counted.

“Everybody gets the same amount of pull,” Straley said.

“I just think it’s important to get involved and stay active, politically,” Janco, 20, said. “We’re kind of the future of the country.”