This fall, Utah County voters will rely on the political expertise of a handful of teenagers who have inserted themselves into a small group that gets a first crack at candidates.

But Lockhart, Cortese and others like them are among the vanguard of a new youth movement in the political process.

Participation in politics for 18-24-year-olds bottomed out in 2000, but the thinking now is, "Holy cow, every vote does count, every vote does matter," says Dan Shea, a political-science professor at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. Shea, who focuses primarily on youth participation, said there are a number of reasons for the increase, including the glut of information available online and the ability of teens to pass it along at previously unheard-of speed.

"If they come across something interesting, something funny on YouTube, their inclination is to share it with 20 friends," he said.

Lockhart is the daughter of a Utah County political power couple. Her mother is Rep. Becky Lockhart, R-Provo, and her father is Stan Lockhart, the chairman of the state Republican party. While she picked up her interest in politics from her parents, her move into a more public life was of her own accord.

Although she is not yet 18, party rules allow delegates to be younger if they reach voting age by the time of the general election. Lockhart got elected as a delegate in a district in which she didn't yet live, planning to move there after graduation to attend BYU. Shortly after the election, she found herself in the bright lights of politics when several candidates voiced concerns in the media that what she did was against the rules.

"At first I was shocked that it was such a big deal to people," said Lockhart, who asked the county party chairwoman ahead of time if what she was doing would be OK. "I just took the advice of people who knew what they were talking about."

Her parents, while privately frustrated with the press treatment of their daughter, nevertheless warned her ahead of time that public life is tricky and that it was her choice. Before interviewing for this story, she was told by her mother, "Have fun. Good luck."

It's not that Lockhart can't take care of herself. She graduated with an associate degree from UVSC a week before graduating from the Utah County Academy of Sciences, a charter high school. She's working part-time and doesn't mind the uniform at Hot Dog on a Stick. ("It's a great job.")

Now at BYU, she's majoring in political science with a minor in American history. She likes to talk politics, but surprisingly not with her parents. "That's kind of funny," she says after thinking about it for a moment.

While she stays away from issues like the war in Iraq, she likes to talk about the environment and transportation. People stuck in an Interstate 15 traffic jam likely don't understand that it's not as simple as going out and adding lines to the road. There are complicated regulations to get through, competing transportation projects and, of course, money.

"Everything in politics influences everything in people's lives every day," she said.

Lockhart will be attending the Republican National Convention in Minnesota as an alternate national delegate. The national delegates from Utah will be choosing a presidential candidate, and while Mitt Romney handily won the state, he has since dropped out of the race to make room for John McCain.

Shea, the political science professor, says that while young teens like Lockhart and others often lean in the same direction as their parents, once they're off to college, their choices become less sure. That's critical to candidates as the older electorate becomes more and more partisan.

"Now we've got a lot of folks that are going to vote, and they've already made up their minds," he said. "I think that operatives are working hard for the youth vote, but they are cautious that it will materialize."

Alex Peacock needs little prodding to air his grievances about his generation.

"It's fairly disgusting to look at voter turnout and the lack of understanding of voter issues," said the Orem resident who turned 18 on April 26. "Most of the high-school students don't care about politics."

Peacock, a Democrat, learned to care while debating issues around the dinner table. His mother is a Democrat, his father an independent and his older brother a staunch Republican.

"Each of our family has found things that appeal to us," said Peacock, who counts among his heroes the legendary Democrat William Jennings Bryan.

The issues that appeal to him are both local and national, from school vouchers to the presidential campaign. The former he's opposed to, and on the latter, he's still straddling the fence between Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. ("I don't necessarily think a Clinton dynasty is a good thing.")

Like Lockhart, Peacock is more action than talk. He has volunteered in numerous Democratic campaigns and was elected as both a county and state delegate this year. His party activism has meant putting up with a substantial amount of negativity from those around him. Utah County is, after all, the most conservative county in the country and is made up mostly of members of the LDS Church.

"I've had people say I've betrayed my religion," said Peacock, who is LDS and planning on going on a mission.

He's studying international relations at BYU in the summer and will be in France this fall for a study-abroad program. Any spare time he has is spent in typical teenage fashion: "Hanging out with friends."

Shea says all that hanging out, especially the online part of it, is contributing to the increase in youth participation. While the total number of voters in the 2004 election cycle went up 3 percent nationwide, the increase for voters under the age of 30 went up 11 percent. While there are no national numbers, the youth vote in individual 2008 state primaries is up substantially, sometimes tripling or quadrupling.

"They're as informed as young folks ever have been," he said.

Be it Facebook, MySpace or texting, even when friends aren't together, they're connected. And there's another benefit to a connected youth: online donations. Quick, easy and acceptable in small amounts, donations through candidates' Web sites are an attractive option to the young, who shun traditional mail and formal fundraising events.

Obama, who Shea said is particularly appealing to youth, has raised millions online through millions of donations -- far more than any other candidate.

Tony Cortese won't be voting for Obama anytime soon. ("Of course I'd rather have Mitt Romney, but John McCain is going to have to do for us.")

"I was raised to be a Republican," says the 18-year-old Republican. "You want to make sure your standards stay with who you are voting for."

Unlike Lockhart and Peacock, Cortese wasn't self-driven into activism. It was his mother, Jan, who first told him that he needed to get involved. So he grudgingly gave his spiel at his district caucus and was surprised to be chosen as a delegate.

"I knew that delegates play a strong role in the process. I did feel a little out of place," Cortese said, who has spiky hair with frosted tips.

He was also a little out of place trying to explain the caucus system and delegates to his friends.

"None of them really know what it is," he said. "You can explain it -- to an extent."