Judge Hears Challenge to New Orleans Vote

NEW ORLEANS Mar 27, 2006 (AP)— With less than a month before New Orleans' first elections since Hurricane Katrina, the voting plan and even the date are still in dispute.

Civil rights groups returned to federal court Monday morning to try to block the April 22 mayoral election, arguing that too many black residents scattered by Katrina won't be able to participate.

U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle agreed to reconsider their petition after initially turning aside pleas for a postponement.
.....
Monday's hearing was called after the NAACP and other civil rights groups argued that the election plan contained the equivalent of a poll tax a voting fee that was banned after it was abused in the South to disenfranchise blacks. They said displaced residents would have to pay for transportation to vote in New Orleans and the expenses would be the "modern equivalent of a poll tax."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=1772306&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

I suggest those sitting on their asses far away from New Orleans and yet want to rebuild the city get their asses back to the city and roll up their sleeves just like thousands and thousands of citizens have been doing for months. Pumping money into the tax base and day by day cleaning up the city. No place to live? There's a helluva lot of residents living outside the city and commuting everyday. I think seven months is plenty of time to get your fucking act together. Our soldiers in Iraq will have no problem voting in their local election, neither will those displaced by Katrina. The government is bending over backwards to identify and aid citizens in their efforts to vote. POLL TAX MY ASS!

......There's a helluva lot of residents living outside the city and commuting everyday

coming back to New Orleans? When are they going to contribute to the cities cleanup and rebuilding? If you don't have a car, get a job and get one if you need one. If you want to reside elsewhere, become a citizen of whereever you are living and get a job and plan to come back to New Orlean when you can. But "civil rights" groups holding up elections because people are displaced is just not justified in lieu of what the city and the state are doing to help those displaced vote. If a person really cared about New Orleans they would make every effort to get back to the city to lend a helping hand, not spend time demonizing those running for public office who have offered plans to make New Orleans whole and better; who have rolled up their sleeves and are doing their part. After all its been almost seven months.

by authorities who are trying to force them out of the City.

cite me one example of authorities "forcing" anyone out of the city? And just who are these "authorities?" Federal? Local? State? It ain't happening. Family homes totally destroyed? Yes. Folks financially unable to return? Yes. Forced out of the city or denied the right to come back? No. I'd love to study any evidence you have to the contrary. I live 50 miles up the road from New Orleans and had wind and water damage to my home and property. No one from New Orleans volunteered to help me out. However, thousands and thousands of volunteers from all over the country are in New Orleans right this minute cleaning up and helping the city out. Somebody has a logo that fits here, results not excuses.

For them to come back to vote, they would have to come up
with enough money for a ticket back to NOLA and (in many cases)
for a hotel to stay at least overnight.

That is money these people simply don't have.
They lost everything.

Absentee ballots are available for those registered. And could you please be a little bit more specific about "stymied at every turn." There has been an incredible amount of stymeing going on in and around the gulf coast but that has not stopped a helluva lot of people from helping to cleanup and rebuild the city. Hopefully those folks will vote. And there is no shortage of work around New Orleans so lack of a job ain't an excuse. And just who do those who are displaced not want to be elected Mayor and why? Seven months, its time to turn off the whining machine and roll up the sleeves or set up permanent residence elsewhere.