Hartford – Secretary of the State Denise Merrill announced today that voter turnout in last week’s primary was below normal.

Figures reported by registrars of voters showed that 19 percent of Democrats ventured to the polls Aug. 14, or fewer than the 24 percent of registered Democrats who voted in the 2010 August gubernatorial primary.

Just over 27 percent of Republicans came out for the primary, compared to the 29 percent in 2010.

Total turnout for all races in the 2nd Congressional District was 21.8 percent, with 18.8 percent of Democrats and 26 percent of Republicans.

Merrill said the town of Sprague had the second-highest turnout among Democrats, with 45.5 percent of them going to the polls. New London was third lowest, with only 11.7 percent of Democrats coming out.

On the Republican side, the city of Norwich had the fifth-lowest Republican turnout among municipalities, at 17.6 percent.

The highest turnout for a state primary in recent history was the August 2006 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate between Ned Lamont and Joe Lieberman. More than 42 percent of registered Democrats came out that year.

“Since Connecticut’s primaries moved to August, a higher percentage of party members have shown up to vote,” Merrill said. “Still, the names on the ballot and current events drive turnout more than the date of the election; 2006 was a perfect example.”