WASHINGTON -- Thirteen out of every 100 voters who went to the polls Tuesday were younger than 30, and more than half of them chose Democrats, experts say.

About 10 million young people voted, according to analysts who studied exit poll data. That's 2 million more than the previous congressional midterm election in 2002.

This year's youth turnout was perhaps the largest for a midterm election since 1982, said Mark Lopez of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement.

In House races, six in 10 young people voted Democratic, with the Iraq war, the economy and terrorism their top concerns, Democratic pollster Celinda Lake said Wednesday.

"Young people . . . are becoming increasingly mobilized. They are realizing that they do have power and are displaying that power through their vote," said Jane Erickson of MD Votes, a nonpartisan group that registered about 8,500 at 12 Maryland colleges and universities.

An issue that didn't figure big with the public at large galvanized young voters, Erickson said: the rising cost of college.

Young people feel neglected by political parties, but Tuesday's turnout shows that politicians would be wise to court them, said Ed Goeas, a Republican pollster. The overall turnout Tuesday was a little more than 40 percent. About 24 percent of young eligible voters went to the polls.

The youth vote was larger than the national average in Michigan, Montana, Minnesota and Missouri.

Some groups suggest that voting levels should not be the only measurement in determining whether young people care about politics.

Generation Engage was founded two years ago to get young people who do not attend college involved in meaningful political debate.

It hires young people for get-out-the-vote campaigns — so far in North Carolina, Virginia and New York — and sponsors Internet broadcasts in which politicians and celebrities discuss issues with young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

The live programs enable audience members at each broadcast site to pose questions to the speakers, who have included former President Clinton, speaking on technology; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, discussing renewable energy sources; and film director Spike Lee and architect Michael Arad, examining the role of arts in society.

On Monday, Tom Daschle, the former Senate Democratic leader from South Dakota, addressed groups in New York City; Louisville, Ky.; and St. Paul, Minn., on the technology gap between urban and rural communities and the ways young people can effect change in government.

Adrian Talbott, co-founder and executive director of Generation Engage, said the group did not measure success only in the number of newly registered voters.

Instead, it is attempting to change the culture — especially of young people who are not seeking higher education — to create responsible citizens who are continually aware of national and global issues.

"Young people are not apathetic," he said. "They don't suffer from lack of interest but suffer from lack of access."