They all share a similar quality: Each has a passion for politics that started at an early age. Now several young Texans will represent their districts as delegates to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

Take Alex Karjeker. He is only 19 years old and was elected by fellow state delegates to become one of the youngest delegates at the Democratic National Convention, which will be held in Denver, Colo. next week. Karjeker, who attends the University of Texas at Austin and works for Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), said he admires Barack Obama and is looking forward to his acceptance speech.

“I’m really excited about the conventions,” he said. “I’m also looking forward to the VP announcement to see how the ticket is going to look from top to bottom.”

Obama is expected to announce his running mate at an event Saturday in Springfield, Ill. where he announced his candidacy. Several names continue to float around, including Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia.

However, Kyndra Reed, 20, is pulling for her fellow congressman to get the nod — Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Texas). House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named Edwards as her favorite for the VP spot, but he’s remained out of the spotlight despite the nod.

Regardless of who may become Obama’s running mate, Reed, who attends Texas A & M University, says she is excited about attending the Democratic convention to show how young people are ready to get involved with politics.

“We are about to step up and take things over,” she said. “We need to care about what is going on and have knowledge about the things that will affect our future.”

Joshua Kempf, 22, would agree and believes Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain is the person to lead the country into the future. Kempf will be a delegate at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, Minn.

“I think what makes conventions special is they let regular guys like me say why we support John McCain,” he said. “After this, all the concentration will be on the debates and general election.”

Kempf based his delegate platform on unifying Texas Republicans for McCain. He said there are some Republicans with the attitude that they will vote for McCain simply because he is not Obama.

“This is not a referendum on Barack Obama,” he said in regards to the election. “John McCain has great policies to offer.

“I made a strong case to support him because he has made significant reforms to government,” Kempf said.

But whatever the affiliation or stance on issues like the economy or the war in Iraq, young people have been inspired by the candidates they support.

Reed said this election year has given her hope for the future.

“I think this whole thing has shown that anyone really can become president and anyone can make a difference.”