New Orleans Elections May Be Postponed

[kpete]

New Orleans Elections May Be Postponed
"Elections set for February in Louisiana should be postponed until some time before Sept. 30 as the city recovers from Hurricane Katrina, Lousiana Secretary of State Al Ater said," according to the New Orleans Times-Picaune.

"Gov. Kathleen Blanco has the final say on whether the elections will go forward. She was not immediately available for comment. However, Ater said the governor's office has indicated that she would follow his recommendation."

http://www.politicalwire.com/

[KamaAina]

1. Damned if you do, damned if you don't

Hold the elections as scheduled, and you risk skewing the electorate grotesquely towards those who have the resources to get back into the city, and to live in unflooded areas near the river in the first place.

Make an attempt to involve evacuee voters by absentee ballot, and you make it impossible for anyone not an incumbent to mount a credible challenge. How would you campaign in five or six different cities, especially for a city council seat rather than the mayoralty?

Speaking of the city council, the seats up for election include District E -- which consists of: the Lower Ninth Ward, New Orleans East, and a slice of Gentilly. All were devastated by the flooding. What do you think the electorate will be like there? "Republican Joe Blow scored a stunning upset in District E, defeating his Democratic opponent by a margin of 18 to 12..."

But delay the elections, as the Secretary of State recommends, and you basically admit that your city isn't as functional as, say, Fallujah. Already the righties on Yahoo! boards (no, I'm not going you-know-where) are crowing about "This is just what Dems said Bush would do!" and the like.

Creative solutions are most welcome. Operators are standing by...