PHILIPPI, W.Va. – The coronavirus has caused many that would have voted in person to vote by mail, but in Barbour County, majority of people voted in person. A little less than half (2,937 out of 6,718) of the votes counted on election day were either from absentee ballots (1,259 votes) or early voting (1,678 votes).
What surprised Connie Kaufman, Barbour County Clerk, was the amount of people taking advantage of being able to vote early in-person.
“For the first time, we had people lined up down this sidewalk and all the way down the other side for early voting,” said Kaufman, “But today it’s been consistent. There’s always been somebody there voting.”
People who voted in person said they were frustrated with how COVID is still affecting everyday decisions. Raymond Alth voted today at the Barbour County Courthouse. He said he simply decided to vote in person today because he always votes in person.
“We should all be out here I think,” explained Alth, “It’s not going to go away for the rest of our lives.”
Barbour County had a nearly 70% voter turnout rate this election. Tonight’s results for local races are listed below. All results are not final until canvassing is finished on Monday:
| Race | Name | Vote Count |
| Sheriff | Brett Carpenter (R) | 4,341 |
| Sheriff | Mike Ervin (D) | 2,141 |
| County Commissioner | David Strait (R) | 3,924 |
| County Commissioner | Philip Ferguson (D) | 2,586 |
| Assessor | Derick A. Spencer (R) | 4,452 |
| Assessor | Deb Dadisman | 2,027 |
