Are New Hampshire voters the most engaged in the country? The proof is in the numbers.

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WASHINGTON − New Hampshire voters have a reputation for asking presidential candidates tough questions, flocking to campaign stops to challenge White House hopefuls.

New Hampshire often leads the country when it comes to turnout rates of eligible voters in primaries − and by a significant margin. In four of the last six presidential elections, New Hampshire landed in the number one spot for the highest primary turnout rate, according to data from the U.S. Elections Project.

"New Hampshire has a tradition of being first in the nation," Andrew Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire's survey center, told USA TODAY. "For us, voting in the primaries is kind of like a holiday. There's an expectation that you just go vote on primary day."

Smith, the co-author of "The First Primary: New Hampshire's Outsize Role in Presidential Nominations," said there are multiple explanations for the state's major engagement in the primary process.

For example, Granite State residents have higher incomes and education rates compared to other parts of the country. There's often a correlation between these factors and the likelihood of voting, Smith explained.

"The fact that we've gotten over 50% turnout in a primary, some states don't get that in their presidential elections," he said.

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Additionally, candidates immediately jump to New Hampshire after the Iowa caucuses, often spending more than a week holding campaign events and traveling from corner to corner of the state because of its small size. That focus also translates to increased engagement, Smith said.

"It's not surprising that you have higher turnout because you have voters who are forced to be engaged because they're bombarded by things," he told USA TODAY.

Granite State voters going out of their way to participate in their primaries also stems from the state's history and reputation as the first-in-the-nation contest.

Throughout New Hampshire's history, there have been fewer restrictions on voting compared to other states, a tradition that has carried on today. In the state, undeclared voters who might be excluded from the primary process as independents in other areas are welcomed to participate. These undeclared New Hampshire voters get to choose in which party's primary they'll vote, removing a common hurdle for voter participation.

"If you go to another state or another country and you tell people where you're from, they'll say, 'Oh yeah, that's where that primary is,'" Smith said. "We're really not known for anything else."

Will New Hampshire break records in 2024?

Voters on Tuesday are expected to turn out in higher numbers for the New Hampshire primary than they did for the Iowa Caucuses earlier this month.

Last week, 15% of Iowa's registered Republicans − around 110,298 Iowans − showed up to pick their Republican nominee. That falls short of the 20% to 30% of Republicans who caucused in recent years, experts say.

But New Hampshire isn't expecting a lagging turnout on Tuesday. Instead, it's possible the 2024 New Hampshire primary could break state records. New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan predicted that 322,000 Republicans will turn out to vote in the state's GOP race, which could surpass turnout levels in the last two election cycles.

In 2016, 288,000 registered Republicans participated in the New Hampshire primaries when former President Donald Trump won the state, according to the U.S. Elections Project. In the last election cycle, 301,000 registered Democrats and 157,000 registered Republicans turned out to vote in the primaries.

Contributing: Des Moines Register, Karissa Waddick

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 primaries: Are NH voters the most engaged in the country?