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Matthew Silverstein will be stepping out in a couple of weeks to attend a party at Drom, a flashy lounge in Manhattan’s East Village. He’ll listen to trendy music, socialize with friends and rub elbows with some of Queens’ hippest residents: its Democratic councilmen.

The president of the New York State Young Democrats, and former president of the Queens County Democrats, a grassroots group that seeks to build the Democratic Party base in Queens and help increase voter enrollment, said the local Democratic candidates have finally figured out what he and other young voters have known for years – if politicians want to appeal to them, they’re going to have to meet them halfway, sometimes even on their turf.

In an effort to attract young voters, Silverstein’s group will host two parties this month called Young Dems After Dark: Countdown to Change. Expected guest speakers include Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) and Councilman Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach).

“People of my generation are the least likely to know who represents them in local politics,” Silverstein said. “It’s becoming increasingly more expensive and difficult to be a young person who lives in New York City. We need to teach people what it means to be involved in politics so we can start to see changes.”

Grassroots political organizations, including youth efforts, are not new concepts. But in order to take their message one step further, some local fringe groups are beginning to realize the importance of taking a step back – by making local politics a top priority.

This year’s competitive State Senate races have served as the catalyst for both Democratic and Republican grassroots groups in Queens to focus their attention on local politicians and try to increase voter enrollment.

For the Democrats, at least, these efforts have proved successful. A wave of new voters has registered for this year’s state and federal races, according to the State Board of Elections. Between January and August of this year, 6,859 new voters enrolled in District 11, where Councilman Gennaro is challenging Bellerose Republican incumbent Frank Padavan. Of these voters, 711 are Republicans and 4,083 are Democrats, according to the Board of Elections.

Gennaro understands that the success of his campaign will rest largely on the support of youth and grassroots voters. He said they appreciate his environmental record and see him as a progressive agent of change, and he is equally appreciative of their support. In addition to attending parties and group events at Queens College and St. John’s University, he has participated in voter registration drives and created a Facebook account where young people can network with other Gennaro supporters.

“I won my first election through a grassroots effort and I will win this one through a grassroots effort,” Gennaro said. “People are starting to see they can make a difference in their own backyards. It’s unusual for one race to have this kind of impact.”

Other local Democrat groups are brainstorming creative ways to get involved in the campaign. Steve Behar, the president of Northeast Queens for Obama, will be organizing day trips from Bayside to Philadelphia every weekend until the election to spread information about the Democrat’s policies. Two weeks ago, members of the St. John’s University College Democrats organized a group of students to go door to door on Gennaro’s behalf. They spoke to 200 residents, according to Chairman Ian Rivera, and plan to spend all of Election Day on St. John’s campus, urging people to get to the polls.

“Obama is the first person to reach out to the youth and this has trickled down to the city and state,” Rivera said. “The majority of our membership signed up because they were excited about Obama. We show them that it’s not just about the presidential race – local politics is important.”

And Republican grassroots groups are also orchestrating change from the trenches. The Urban Republican Coalition, which works to build a structure of support for local Republican candidates in New York City, organizes workshops to recruit potential campaign workers. St. John’s University College Republicans are active supporters of local candidates. Even high school students have been involved in the local Republican campaign, making phone calls for Padavan and traveling to local shopping centers to hand out fliers.

Despite his stronghold in Northeast Queens, Padavan doesn’t underestimate the impact of the grassroots and youth vote.

“The more young people you get involved, the better it is,” he said.

The Queens Young Republicans, which was organized in 2007, are going door to door, making phone calls, and organizing events, such as a cocktail party they hosted last year, which featured guest speakers Padavan and Senator Maltese. As young Republicans in New York, it’s always a challenge to organize the youth vote, according to Richard Alicea, chairman of the Queens Young Republicans. And this year, with Obama and the Democrats using grassroots marketing strategies to target young voters, it’s been even more difficult.

“A lot of people will tell us that we’re fighting a losing battle, since New York is a blue city,” Alicea said. “It’s increasingly difficult to find young people with conservative values. But as long as there are young people willing to fight, it’s a battle that’s worth fighting.”