In quotation marks
"So it is said"
Maybe he heard it second-hand and didn't actually watch her say it.
Thought of that too vis a vis the quotation marks
"so they say"
In doubt. so could be since she's in fact dead [or away somewhere?] and woman who made the announcement was a double [which anons already pointed out]
I think they are making out ballots in Spanish, since the people who are told they can vote and who are being inspired to go to the polls can not speak English.