Chairman of the NAACP Julian Bond, left, speaks with Presidnt Bruce S. Gordon during a meeting Saturday Feb. 18, 2006 in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Posted on 02/18/2006 11:33:19 AM PST by Libloather
NAACP: Postpone New Orleans Election
By ERIN TEXEIRA, AP National Writer
15 minutes ago
Chairman of the NAACP Julian Bond, left, speaks with Presidnt Bruce S. Gordon during a meeting Saturday Feb. 18, 2006 in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
NEW YORK - The Department of Justice should postpone upcoming elections in New Orleans until displaced voters have been located, NAACP officials said Saturday.
"We're worried about the voting rights of our people in New Orleans who are not, for the most part, in New Orleans," said Bruce S. Gordon, NAACP president. "People should still have a say in what happens in the communities that were ravaged by Katrina."
Last week, Gordon asked U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to make sure election procedures are fair. The Voting Rights Act allows federal officials to scrutinize election changes that many hurt minorities.
"If it requires us to take legal action, we will fight this," Gordon said.
A Justice department spokesman did not return calls seeking comment.
Officials of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, speaking at the organization's annual board meeting, also called on Congress to renew parts of the Voting Rights Act that are due to expire next year and criticized the recent selection of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.
Alito is a "radical judicial activist, a man hostile to civil rights and women's rights," said Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP.
Last week, Louisiana lawmakers approved plans to set up satellite voting centers in 10 state parishes and allow evacuees to vote by absentee ballot in the April 22 city elections. NAACP officials said that date is too soon.
Barely one-third of residents have returned to Orleans Parish, which was two-thirds black before Hurricane Katrina, according to estimates from the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center. Tens of thousands of displaced people are still without permanent housing and mail delivery is delayed.
"Protecting voting rights is going to depend on the absentee ballot process," said John H. Jackson, NAACP chief policy officer. "The state has the burden of showing that they have accurate information for locating them. We don't want to have those ballots go out and have them never connect with individuals."
Kwame I. Asante, president of the NAACP's Baton Rouge branch, said: "We've received many calls from people who are asking, 'Where do we go? How do we register to vote?' ... It's too soon for many people."
It will always be too soon for many people.
Gee it's not too soon to have Mardi Gras.
Has it ever occured to Julian Bond that maybe the Katrina victims don't want to come back to New Orleans.
And this is the reason for all the fuss, the blacks are gone, and most won't be returning (I can't say I blame them). No one to buy votes from with 'special programs'. Bye bye voter base!
Well, how do they know who wants to return to NO and who doesn't? They don't. They never will. They want to leave Nagin in office forever, apparently.
I guess it hasn't occurred to them that there is such a thing as absentee ballots if the people want to vote in their old precincts.
And you can be darn sure that the Dims will have them vote absentee in NO and also in-person in the town where they are currently living.
What was that statistic from after Katrina?
Two thirds of those displaced said that they weren't coming back to Nawlins.
Face it, Bruce. There is no "there" ther. And there ain't no way you're getting 200,000 ghost voters, either.
Why oh why isn't it up to the VOTER to make sure they vote?
It's clear that "personal responsibility" isn't a very high priority in certain parts of society.
Funny thing about N'Awlins!They never had a problem bussing people to the polls,but when it came time to evacuate,well................................
Maybe Nagin will send those flooded buses to bring em' home?
Re: the title, still can't get over Alito: It's more like they can deal with fact that their slaves have moved on with their lives and are rebuilding elsewhere. Also, they can't deal with the fact the many have discovered that whites are not the devil, like those who were moved to Mormon communities in Utah, and those who lived in the homes of whites who opened their homes and hearts to them. How many people do JJ or Julian Bond have in their homes?
QUOTE: "...the voting rights of our people in New Orleans who are not, for the most part, in New Orleans,..."
Ummmm.... So people no longer living there are still able to select the mayor? How does that work?
Perhaps a grant from Hershey or Nestle (or Godiva, even) would help fund the effort to keep N.O. 'chocolate, and with Nutball Nagin, it should be delicious.
(sarc/off)
I'm going to N'Awlins on Thursday(23rd).I go to Mardi Gras every year because I'm a member of The Krewe of Orpheus.I'll post a report when I arrive home!
I guess Nagin or his family can't vote they live in TX>
thanks for the idea.
Postpone the NAALCP
note to Julian Bond: when people MOVE OUT of a state, they are no longe residents OF THAT STATE.
Possibly this is a concept that he cannot grasp?
They want the same old, same old. What about a new and improved New Orleans, where all faces aren't black?
Certainly! Also all of your deceased relatives!
Where in Fla? I was at Eglin during early 60s - there were still sand dunes back then.
South west of Tampa.
Jindal all the way!
I don't care which, but I hope Governor, because what Lousiana really, really needs is a Governor who's not part of the machine, and even the past couple Republican Governors have been just that.
Not Jindal.
That, and the polls show him winning by close to 20pts.
The Democrats have nominated one failure and corrupt political hack after another.
I still have trouble comprehending how someone as accomplished as Congressman Jindal-and with such an impeccable record of public service-lost to that Francophone dunderhead.
What were Louisianans thinking?
"Our" people?
Are they not worried about WHITE people then?
Yeah, those voters just may busy in Houston or some other place promulgating gang violence against innocents. Or they could be too busy buying tattoos and hookers with their taxpayer funded debit cards. Wouldn't want to interfer with those legitimate actions against the caucasians.
No. Julian Bond thinks in the abstract realm. In his world, everything is black. There are no shades of white or gray.
Why would you quetion that?
Jindal wasn't a Congressman then, he just became one in 2004 after losing for Governor in 2003.
I guess some were concerned that he was too young, he would have been one of the youngest, if not the youngest, Governor in the nation. That, and racism played a part in it too, unfortunately.
That said, I don't think either would matter a second time around. He'll be a little older now, and a lot of people that voted for Blank-O will vote for him this time around. That, and a lot of others won't be in the state.
Isn't it remarkable how much more these deceitful, venal Dems seem to care about losing office-due to the displacement of former New Orleans residents, who are potential voters-than they do about actually helping the evacuees to return home and re-establish their lives?
They want JUST-US.
I guess it hasn't occurred to them that there is such a thing as absentee ballots if the people want to vote in their old precincts.
Thanks for the explanation.
Is anyone counterpunching on this? Surely some of the folks in New Orleans ought to be willing to organize, agitate, and if necessary litigate on the principle that elections should proceed as normal.
Ask the same question of Massachusetts Voters.
They keep electing Chappaquiddick Teddy.
Mr. Bond continues to demonstrate his intelligence and keen analytic mind. /sarcasm
That state-like the rest of New England-has been contaminated by cultural liberalism for quite some time.
The willingness of people in Louisiana to put up with their endemically corrupt, chronically inept public officials is inexplicable.
I just hope that tendency changes in the next election cycle, and we can look forward to Governor Jindal.
He would also look good as a future VP or POTUS aspirant, if you want my honest opinion.
You register where you are living now !!!
Nagin's family has been back in New Orleans since before Christmas. Get over it for crying out loud!
Ha! Great point!
First i've heard about it,did he sell his house in TX? You got a problem?
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