Having gotten the preliminaries out of the way (yes, we're talking to you, Pennsylvania), the candidates for president have turned their lonely eyes to North Carolina.

We and our 134 delegates are the biggest prize left. On Tuesday, we'll decide how to divvy them up. Indiana has its primary the same day.

Election officials have reported a surge of new registrations, and thousands of North Carolinians were so eager to cast their ballots that they took advantage of the early voting period.

Does the democratic heart good to see that.

Most of the surging interest, of course, is due to the compelling and historic, if exhausting, race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination. Many Dems worry about the damage the long race may cause the eventual nominee and the party, but here in North Carolina it means we'll have a primary that offers something rare: an opportunity to matter.

In past presidential elections, the nominees have always been locked in long before the North Carolina primary came along. We've never been much more than a formality.

This year is different. True, our vote probably won't sway the thing definitively; the delegate count is such that the outcome of our primary is likely to do no more than give a slight boost to one candidate or the other. The super delegates almost certainly will make the call in the end.

And, truth be told, the candidates are putting most of their eggs in Indiana's basket, because the race there is considered more of a tossup, whereas Obama has a big lead in the polls here.

Nevertheless, our primary is important to both candidates and the nation. A lopsided Obama victory would put some welcome daylight between him and Clinton and bolster his case that the super delegates should follow the lead of the voters. A surprisingly strong showing -- or an upset win -- by Clinton would help her make the argument that Obama is growing weaker by the day, and that therefore the super delegates should consider her the best choice to win in November.

Both candidates have come a-courting, and for a state that historically doesn't get much of that kind of attention, it's a heady feeling.

The old maxim that all politics are local may not be entirely true, but certainly a lot of politics are, and along with the presidential primary, several important local issues are up for grabs. Along with races for the state legislature and the Orange County Board of Commissioners and school board, the much-debated land-transfer tax proposal is on the ballot.

So there's a lot to decide on Tuesday. Let's make the most of it. The crowds at the early voting sites have gotten the ball rolling. For the rest of us, whatever else you have on your to-do list for Tuesday, make sure "Vote" is on there, preferably up near the top.