SEABROOK - It happens every four years, and every time, the national furor and focus on New Hampshire gets bigger and bigger.

It's New Hampshire's famed "first in the nation presidential primary," and it takes place today.

Town Clerk Bonnie Fowler's been watching the primary action build since 1977, long before she became town clerk in 1996. She's noticed the attention that Seabrook voters pay this primary grow significantly over recent years.

As a result, Fowler's making no predictions on how this year's races will go, although there's been much ado about New Hampshire for almost two years by every Democrat and Republican running.

This year, New Hampshire voters have their choice of 45 candidates.

"Lately, there's been stronger turnouts for the presidential primaries in Seabrook than in the past," Fowler said. "But, then, the town has grown, too, and that could account for it, along with all the attention we get from the national media. There are a lot of states who've tried to take our place as first, but I think the state of New Hampshire will do whatever it takes to keep its first-in-the-nation status. I know (New Hampshire Secretary of State) Bill Gardner will fight tooth and nail to do that."

Longtime Democrat and poll worker Bette Thibodeau agrees with Fowler that the primary has grown in importance with local voters.

"To my mind, it's due to the increase in media attention," Thibodeau said. "I think it's happened little by little since 1988."

Thibodeau's also been pleased to see more Democrats score more favorably in the primary in Seabrook than in years past. Recently, the Democratic winner of the presidential primary has sometimes received more votes than the Republican winner.

In Seabrook - which was always reputed to be a staunchly Republican town, just as New Hampshire had historically been considered an overwhelmingly Republican state - the voters' new Democratic leanings dropped a few jaws. That change has come of late, Thibodeau said, especially locally.

"I think Democrats have done better in the southern tier of New Hampshire," she said. "That's were the majority of population growth has been and where most people live. Many people have moved to New Hampshire - like I did (in 1963) - from Massachusetts along the southern tier. But, I think it's still hard for a Democrat to win in the northern part of the state."

The voter registration checklist has grown enormously with the influx of population, Fowler said, and she thinks some of the reason is because it's easier for residents to register than it used to be. Residents can register to vote any day of the week at the town clerk's office, she said. Previously, those wanting to register had to make appointments with Seabrook's Supervisors of the Checklist and wait for them to meet.

In addition, unregistered voters can register at the polls on election day, as long as they come with the correct proof of residency and age.

Supervisor of the Checklist and loyal Republican Bruce Brown also believes local interest in the primary has grown over the years, though the state primary has pretty much remained steady, he said.

Some of the change and increase occurred when rules allowed undeclared - or independent - voters to cast ballots in the presidential primary without having to pick a party permanently, Brown said. After pulling a Democratic or Republican ballot, independents can simply refile as independents before they leave the polls, he said.

"It's the independents that are making the big difference," Brown said. "Before is was only Democrats and Republicans who voted in the primaries. But in the 2000 primary - the one that was hotly contested between McCain and Bush - we had a lot of independents pull ballots. McCain won that time, here and in the state."

Brown also thinks voters in Seabrook and statewide are more motivated to get out and vote, because of all the hoopla about being first. And because of constant visits and advertising by candidates in the state for months and sometimes years before the election. They come, he said, because New Hampshire's is the first primary, and they see that as important.

"The candidates campaign here because we're the first and they want to get the edge," Brown said. "We're a small state, so candidates can get out and meet the voters personally here. They could never do that in a big state. I think people here realize it's important that we have the first primary, and they vote because they want to be part of it."