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DENVER - Marcus Sis, 16, doesn't get to vote at the Democratic National Convention in Denver this week, but the 18 Alaskans who do might have real problems doing so without him.

Sis, a student at Juneau-Douglas High School, is one of two youths from Alaska serving as pages for the state's delegates. In addition to basic errand-running, he's the one who fetches floor passes, seat name tags and other necessities for the proceedings.

"A lot of it is getting signs," he said during a relatively calm breakfast for state delegates on Wednesday.

Sis said he became seriously interested in politics about a year ago, attending local candidate events and accelerating his involvement from there. He said one of his primary goals this fall is getting more of his peers to vote.

"They're open to it, but they really don't know the significance of it," he said.

The importance of this year's election, in which Democrats from Alaska are expected to make a strong showing for the first time in decades, becomes clear when surrounded by 50,000 delegates, politicians and other activists, Sis said.

"I'm really learning to appreciate the ones who really have a passion for it," said Sis, who as a minor is accompanied at convention events by his father, Frank.

Among the speakers Sis cited as impressive were Ohio U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich and Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, both of whom were separately singled out by CNN and other news commentators. But while he's heard them speak and seen other notables working the floor, including vice presidential nominee Joe Biden, there hasn't been much of a chance to meet them.

"There's reporters there everywhere," Sis said. "They're not going to let a politician go by without getting a camera in their face."

That said, Sis has nothing against political reporters, saying he may be interested in becoming one. Another possibility is working as a manager for a candidate or elected official.

"I like all the strategy that goes into the campaign," he said. "The setup, the issues, the intricacies. There's a lot of things you don't know why going in, but later you find out nothing is a mistake."

Sis said his political education began when his mother, Debbie, made it a frequent topic while homeschooling him in California just before the family moved to Alaska. His interest peaked last summer when he was chosen to work as a U.S. Senate page "running papers back and forth, and getting water" in Washington, D.C.

The next step came in January of this year when he was one of two applicants for a vacant seat on the city's Social Services Advisory Board. He was unsuccessful, but Juneau Assembly member Jonathan Anderson spoke on his behalf and, along with several other members, urged him to apply for future vacancies on city boards.

A month later, Sis attended the state Democratic party's central committee meeting in Juneau, where applying for a page position at the national convention was first mentioned by Rich Listowski, the committee's representative for Juneau's District 3. Listowski, a delegate at one previous Democratic convention and committee member at three others, said he was impressed by Sis' participation, grades and enthusiasm.

"I told him you have to put your best foot forward and you have to blow your own horn, and he did everything right," said Listowski, who recommended him to state party officials.

Plenty of others did as well, including state Sen. Kim Elton of Juneau, after being contacted by Sis. Patti Higgins, chairwoman of the Alaska Democratic Party and the state's convention delegation, said she got about 15 letters and five or six calls recommending him - far more than any other candidate.

"I've discovered when you find people who do their homework and are prepared, that past performance is a good indicator of future performance," she said.

Sis said the work pace during the convention hasn't been frantic, allowing him time to listen to most of the speakers, plus time to enjoy nonconvention activities such as a taping of MSNBC's "Hardball" and the After Five Denver Jazz and Blues Festival. He said he's also gotten a chance to talk with pages from other states, finding even those from far away places such as Guam - whose delegation is seated next to Alaska's - often raise the same issues and concerns.

"I think what you learn is that despite all the different places we're coming from, a lot of us are more alike than you think," he said.