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Enthusiasm high for 2020 election, according to ex-GOP county official
Andy Hallman
Nov. 5, 2020 12:00 am
FAIRFIELD – 'Turnout on early voting and absentees was phenomenal. I've never seen it that high.”
Those were the words of Marshan Roth, past chair of the Jefferson County Republican Party. Even before the absentee votes were counted Tuesday, it was clear that absentee voting has never been more popular than it was in 2020. Roth said she's acutely aware of how many organizations sent absentee ballot requests to voters, and how many voters felt inundated with them.
'Every campaign is sending out applications for early voting to the point people are getting really upset,” Roth said.
This year, 6,166 Jefferson County residents voted absentee, about two-thirds of the total vote. The Union asked Roth if she felt the high interest in absentee voting could be explained by people wanting to avoid lines because of the pandemic.
'I don't think it's COVID that's driving this,” she said. 'I think it's the enthusiasm level for this election. It's just huge.”
Roth spoke specifically to the Republican experience, where she found that her friends and colleagues were eager to campaign for President Donald Trump. The Jefferson County Republicans hosted an automobile rally in which 60 vehicles drove around the county on a Saturday afternoon. Roth added that many people sought every opportunity to visit the president at one of his rallies.
'Trump has put so much enthusiasm into this race,” Roth said. 'People wanted to carpool three or even four hours to see him, in spite of COVID. It's been a long time since I've seen that level of enthusiasm.”
Though Roth has stepped down as the party's chair, she played an active role in this election, stepping up to perform tasks that party chairman Ben Gare did not have time for because of his full-time job. In particular, Roth spent the days leading up to the election coordinating poll observers. The parties can send representatives to monitor voting at precincts. Roth said they keep track of the registered members of their party so they know who has voted and who has not. They also keep an eye on the proceedings to make sure Election Day runs smoothly. Unlike the poll workers hired by the auditor's office, poll watchers are unpaid volunteers.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Roth said the party did not spend as much time going door-to-door as it normally would. She noted there seemed to be an increased interest in yard signs for this election.