Are New Orleans Evacuees Being Denied the Right to Vote?

by Democracy Now (reposted)

Thu, Feb 16, 2006 7:52AM

We look at how Hurricane Katrina is affecting the political power of New Orleans residents. Upcoming local elections will include a race for mayor with only one black candidate – incumbent Ray Nagin. Lawyers have filed a lawsuit alleging Louisiana’s emergency election plan will disenfranchise thousands of displaced voters, the majority of whom are African-American.

Local elections in New Orleans are set for April. Among other races, voters will cast ballots for mayor. Incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin is facing challenges from more than half a dozen contestants but remains the only black candidate in the race.

Last week, the Advancement Project filed a federal lawsuit challenging election plans for New Orleans, alleging the plan puts too much emphasis on absentee voting and would keep blacks out of office. According to the lawsuit, Louisiana’s emergency election plan following Hurricane Katrina will disenfranchise thousands of displaced voters, the vast majority of whom are African-American, therefore violating the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

* Penda Hair, Co-Director of the Advancement Project and former Director of the Washington, D.C. office of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc.

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