Posted on 02/09/2006 5:32:09 PM PST by Ellesu
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/3648662.html
Group Sues Over New Orleans Election Plans
By CAIN BURDEAU Associated Press Writer © 2006 The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — An advocacy group filed a federal lawsuit Thursday challenging plans for city elections in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, alleging the process would keep blacks out of elected office.
The Advancement Project, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group that has been active in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, claims the plan relies too much on cumbersome absentee voting. Most displaced voters are black.
The group wants changes to the election plan, including polling stations outside the state.
Meanwhile, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People warned that it might organize protests and challenge the elections in court unless displaced voters are given greater consideration in plans to hold elections April 22.
"Everything is on the table," said John Jackson, the NAACP's chief policy officer.
City elections were originally scheduled for Feb. 4 but were postponed after Katrina smashed polling places, dispersed election workers and displaced about two-thirds of the city's population.
Among other races, voters will cast ballots for mayor. So far, the most striking aspect of that race is the number of prominent white business leaders and politicians who have jumped into the fray.
Incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin remains the only black candidate among more than half a dozen hopefuls.
Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, the son of former Mayor Moon Landrieu and brother of U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., is considering a run. Moon Landrieu, who was elected in 1970 and left office in 1978, was the last white mayor.
"Everything reflects the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the demographics of the city," said Silas Lee, a New Orleans political analyst and pollster. "That impacted how many white candidates perceive their political fortunes."
Penda Hair, co-director of the Advancement Project, went further and charged that "there may be an effort to elect white leadership and create a city that is not welcoming to having the residents return."
State officials have been working to try to make sure evacuees can vote. Secretary of State Al Ater plans to send out nearly 1 million notices to tell displaced voters how to cast ballots by mail.
But Jackson said having displaced people cast ballots by mail may leave many people out of the electoral process.
Ater did not immediately return a phone call Thursday.
In the meantime, the state Legislature is working on bills that would make it easier for evacuees to vote. For example, one bill would set up polling places in cities around Louisiana.
Chocolate!
There's only 1 solution: make Ray Nagin Mayor for Life, disband the city council and transfer its powers to Nagin. And he'll take care of his own--delicious drinks for everyone!
This complete BS.
Local politics is local. The people that currently live in NOLA should vote in who they want. When the displaced residents return to NOLA they'll again have their chance to vote, in the next election.
This isn't the last election, it's just the current election.
This will go nowhere. People can absentee vote its not an hardship.
YOu assume this benifits Nagin and that black democractic voters like Nagin. I not so sure. It seems MItch Landriu and other LA party est folks are the ones that benifit not Nagin
I agree 100%.
No, I assume that if an election were cancelled simply because it isn't perfect (and there's no such thing as a perfect election, especially in this situation), then we might as well install a dictator. Plus I just like the term "delicious drink"--Nagin's tone was hilarious, as was his belief that it would smokescreen his earlier comments. My post had no ambition to predict which way the political winds of NO are blowing. It sounds like you know more about NOLA politics than I do.
Well, it's nice to see that liberals have finally gathered the courage to come out openly against holding elections.
ok reread it again. At first I thought they were talking about out of state polling places which would be ludricous. I can be sold on the idea of some polling places in the major LA cities. But the election should not be postponed.
I know some because of the limited time I lived their plus being in involved with State politics I have some familarity with NOLA politics. However, this shouldnt be postponed. Alot of New Orleans Expats are steaming right now because they feel they have no voice down there. And that is having great consequences to their property too. The sooner the vote the better.
They may be steaming all right. They can not get paid for their vote this time.
Did anyone honestly not see this one coming from 100 million miles away? And this lawsuit is only the very tiniest leading edge of the flood of litigation to come, unless we just crown Ray Nagin king and hand him the keys to the Treasury.
Its not so much that individual voters got paid for votes. IN NOLA what you had were political groups that would be paid to get their people on their sample ballots and to get the people to the polls. Groups like SOUL, BOLD, etc. It was really quite an operation to see in person.
There are probably more potential voters in Houston than there are in any Louisiana city, and only Baton Rouge might surpass the number in the Dallas area.
So if you set up out of town polling places, you might as well throw in Houston and Dallas. And if you're going to do that, you can, without much more effort, collect ballots in Atlanta, Birmingham and Memphis as well.
Then promply arrest anyone who has registered to vote in their new state who also votes in New Orleans.
Wonder how long until Jesse Jackson gets involved??
Why not bus em to the polls like they usually do?
Nevermind, busing is probably a sore subject with Nagin.
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