CHARLOTTE, N.C.--Kavita Puri walked around The Square offering free tickets to see Sen. Hillary Clinton's April 28 speech. And Justin Pace directed traffic at the Grady Cole Center during Sen. Barack Obama's recent speech.

Puri, 25, and Pace, 26, are new to political campaigns. This is the first time they were so inspired by a candidate that they wanted to be involved, they say.

With the hotly contested N.C. presidential primary just days away, Charlotte college students and 20-somethings are playing a big role in the Democratic candidates' campaigns. They're going door to door, making calls and registering people to vote -- and they're expected to turn out to vote in larger numbers than in past elections.

"The Democratic campaigns are appealing to the younger voters with the Internet and all the various tools they have now," says Michael Dickerson, Mecklenburg County director of elections. "It's the national flavor, the fact that North Carolina is still in play -- all those things are the reason you see more interest in young people."

Having locked up the Republican nomination, Sen. John McCain does not have a campaign office or organized volunteer efforts in Charlotte yet, the campaign says.

This year has seen the highest national registration rate in history among those younger than 30, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement. In North Carolina, almost 53,000 people between the ages of 18 and 24 registered to vote in the first three months of 2008, more than double than during that same period in 2004.

In some states, turnout among voters under 30 tripled, or even quadrupled, this year compared to 2004, according to CIRCLE.

Jose Posada Jr., a Clinton volunteer and president of the UNC Charlotte College Democrats, says he will help campaign for Clinton in the general election regardless of who wins the nomination.

"I think young people are tired of what they've only known -- eight years of this administration," says Posada, 30. "This is the year that the young people make a difference."

The increased youth involvement is evident to Obama volunteer Anthony Tindall. When Tindall worked for Sen. John Kerry'scampaign, they had to throw pizza parties and bring in celebrities to draw young people. Those tactics aren't needed for the Obama campaign, he says.

"I've never seen it be so easy ... to motivate typically apathetic youth," Tindall, 24, says. "They're coming to us and saying, 'I like this guy. How can I help?' "

Obama appears to be the favorite among young people: A recent poll by Harvard's Institute of Politics found that 70 percent of Democrats ages 18 to 24 favor Obama, compared with 30 percent for Clinton.

Decker Ngongang, Charlotte outreach coordinator for Generation Engage, a national nonprofit that tries to involve young people in the political process, says he thinks the increased interest will lead more young people to vote.

"I think more young people will be part of the conversation," he says. "Will voting increase in November? I believe so."

Lately, when Puri and her friends go out, the election always comes up, she says.

Emily Cox, a UNCC freshman and Clinton volunteer, says the election means more to her now that she's become involved.

Cox is excited for the May 6 primary -- the first time she'll cast a vote. Naturally, she plans to document the milestone on Facebook.