State laws clearly define a process by which a resident out of the parish on election day can vote in Louisiana – an absentee/early voting system designed to minimize the chances of voting fraud. RS 18:1303(4) http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=81337 clearly permits displaced Louisianans the right to vote this way (and the language of RS 18:1306(c)(1) http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=81340 in the use of the word “shall” would permit enough of these ballots to be distributed). The process outlined in RS 18:1307 http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=81341 is incredibly simple – make a request, follow simple instructions to fill out, and mail in.
Thank you for the links. I agree that a well defined and proven system is in place for absentee voting in Louisiana. That system should be allowed to function as intended. The system provides for self-generated and self controlled voting.
Further involvement by anyone other than the absentee voter himself/herself presents potential problems.
If the present system is allowed to function as intended, there should be no problem. My objection, however, is to a move afoot to subvert the present system.
The desire to notify potential absentee voters must be suspect. Only if all voters are notified of their right to vote absentee will the proposal be just.
I defy anyone or any party to determine who may or may not be entitled to vote absentee in these circumstances. The problem arises from notifying only selected voters of their right to vote absentee.
Please explain to me the method by which absentee voters are to be notified. FEMA has refused to identify evacuees in their shelters on the grounds that it would violate their right to privacy.
There has been a totally non-functional U.S. Mail system in New Orleans. Mail has just disappeared into a black hole and is not being delivered reliably now. How does one notify voters and/or absentee voters in these circumstances? I know of one instance where a Change of Address was filed immediately after the Hurricane hit. This has resulted in -0- pieces of mail being delivered. Then, in an effort to overcome this difficulty, the Change of Address was canceled. Still there has been -0- mail delivered.
There are many unidentified persons in the morgue at St. Gabriel. And, we do not even know how many people are simply not accounted for. I, myself, know of one.
The laws you have cited and linked to anticipate that request/fill out/mail in of an absentee ballot will be accomplished by the voter himself/herself. The involvement of third parties in the procuring, delivery, completion and/or return of absentee ballots is not provided for. All of that is intended to be self-generated.
Unless answers to these questions, and analysis of all potential risks, are considered ... the present suggestion should be rigorously opposed.