They love using their iPods, laptops and cell phones for political information, yet many young adults say they aren't quite sure how to get a ballot in the first place.

On top of that, information overload from all the tech toys gets in the way of finding news sources they can trust. Confusing absentee ballots and a lack of faith in the system also may turn young voters into no-shows at the polls.

Andy Weisman, a 23-year-old research analyst from Arlington, Va., simply looks up information in a newspaper about the candidates. Still, he says, plenty of people his age are turned off voting by "not knowing enough about the candidates and not knowing how to find out about the candidates."

More than 20 million people younger than 30 cast their votes in 2004's presidential election. But, at 49 percent, that's still lower than the overall turnout of 64 percent.

"They are so overwhelmed with all the different information," says Abby Kiesa, youth coordinator for the University Maryland's Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, which has studied why young people don't vote. "In almost every single focus group, bias and spin in the media came up totally spontaneously."

For reaching young voters, the messenger appears to be more important than the message. They rely on family and friends, Kiesa said. Social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace, have also emerged as serious campaign tools.

Once they connect with a candidate, what can young voters do to prepare to cast their ballots? Some common questions and answers for taking that next step can be found in a Q&A by clicking here.