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fromEast Tinç
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shut down
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The Offenbach Greens are campaigning without a presence, other parties are setting up information stands in the large squares. 18,000 of those eligible to vote have already applied for postal voting.
Wolfgang Malik is an “old street fighter”. The spokesman for the board of directors of the Greens in Offenbach hurts in the soul that he cannot address people personally due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since there are so many people who don’t want to be close even in these times, “we looked for other ways,” explains Malik.
Instead, the Greens are relying on digital events, social networks, contactless information stands and campaigns before the local elections on March 14th. “I was standing at the Carl Ulrich Bridge at minus ten degrees and held up posters,” says Tobias Dondelinger, co-top candidate. There are also three bicycles on which messages hang, postcards are “lost” in shopping carts and there is a so-called floor newspaper, where posters are stuck to the floor. “That makes people think,” says Dondelinger. The information material is taken away and people deal with the stand well. “
Board spokeswoman Birgit Simon is amazed at how many older people take part in the online events. “We do believe that we can address a lot of people who would otherwise not have come to our events,” says Simon. Parents who cannot take part in a face-to-face event in the evening can also take part online via Zoom or Facebook,
“We want to show presence, but not be present as people,” explains Dondelinger the strategy of the Greens. Although it hurt him a little when he saw the stands of the other parties at the weekly market on Wilhelmsplatz, many people asked him about the Greens’ program. “And the other parties are also involved in discussions at our events on Facebook,” said Simon.
The Offenbach SPD also has its own online events, especially on Instagram. The other parties have largely limited themselves to invitations from organizations such as the DGB or, recently, the Citizens’ Initiative Air Transport (BIL) Offenbach. “We are working to capacity quite well,” explains Roland Walter, the top candidate of the CDU. After all, you have to prepare accordingly. Otherwise, all parties have information booths on Wilhelmsplatz, Aliceplatz on Frankfurter Straße and in some parts of the city.
Meanwhile – as of Tuesday – 18 051 of the approximately 95,500 voters have applied for the postal vote. That is almost twice as many as in the election five years ago.
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