Democracy doesn’t stop during a pandemic.
Small towns throughout Larimer County will have municipal elections April 7, even with town buildings closed to the public because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Voters in Windsor, Wellington, Timnath and Estes Park will elect town board members and in some cases mayors. All are conducting mail-in ballot elections, with ballots due by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Timnath Mayor Jill Grossman-Belisle said the pandemic has affected every aspect of the town’s election, including her campaign for reelection against challengers Mark Soukup and Conor Duffy.
She’s had to focus on working with town, county and state officials to slow the spread of the disease rather than campaigning. Serving citizens comes first in times like these, she said.
Grossman-Belisle was able to meet face-to-face with voters until the coronavirus crisis erupted. Since early March, she’s tried to reach voters through texts, phone calls and social media, which doesn’t appear to have much reach.
The virus could affect voter turnout either way, she said.
On the one hand, people are home and have time to fill out their ballots. On the other hand, they might be preoccupied with other matters.
“Right now, people are concerned about their family and their businesses,” she said. “To some degree, the last thing on their minds is this election even though it is still important.”