State officials were concerned that voter turnout might be low this year because this is the first time the primary election has been held on the second Tuesday in August.
Since 2010, the primary has taken place on the fourth Tuesday in August; before that, it was held on the second Tuesday in September.
Condos has analyzed voter turnout results for the past eight primary elections.
Turnout in 2000 was just over 117,000 people, largely due to a hotly contested Republican race for governor between Bill Meub and Thetford resident Ruth Dwyer.
Then, the number of voters dropped by more than 50 percent for the next four primary elections because there were few statewide contested races.
But in 2010, turnout soared again, with over 100,000 voters driven by a five-way race for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
This year, there are highly contested elections for both the Democratic and Republican races for governor and the Democratic contest for lieutenant governor.
Based on his review, Condos said, the actual calendar date of the primary is not the key factor in determining voter turnout.
“It just looks to me like it’s really more about how big a contest it is between candidates,” Condos said. “And obviously, the more highly competitive that the race is, the more people get drawn out.”
While polls open at different times in various communities on primary day, all polls must be stay open until 7 p.m.