(Bismarck, ND) — As voters head to the polls today for the North Dakota primary today, the secretary of state reports fewer votes being cast early compared to last year. As of Monday, nearly 45-and-a-half-thousand votes had been cast. That’s down from 51-thousand early votes cast in 2022, and nearly 50-thousand in 2016. The 2020 election was conducted virtually via absentee and mail-in voting. Political analysts point to more voter apathy and a smaller push for mail-in voting compared to the last election. The polls are open today until 7 p.m.