Although over 16,000 New Orleans voters requested absentee ballots for the recent primary election, only two-thirds of those voters successfully cast ballots that were counted. In order to ensure that the voice of every displaced voter is heard in the upcoming runoff election, scheduled for May 20th, 2006, the Louisiana Voting Rights Network (LVRN) has issued a set of measured recommendations to the Secretary of State's Office aimed at correcting the problems that voters encountered with the absentee voting process.
The coalition has identified numerous voters who were unable to cast their ballots in the primary election because they encountered a busy fax signal at the Registrar's Office. The Network also identified voters who received their ballots too close to the election but could not afford to return their ballots by overnight mail. Finally, many voters were identified who were confused about the requirements for completing the affidavit included with their ballots.
The LVRN recommendations to the Secretary of State, include increasing the number of fax lines for the return of absentee ballots and sending all remaining absentee ballots to voters via overnight mail. These recommendations will help ensure that a far greater number of voters will be able to return their ballots prior to the deadline. In addition, the Network has also recommended changes to the affidavit attached to the ballot. These changes will help make it clear to voters that their ballots do not need to be notarized. Finally, the changes will also help ensure that voters who received their ballot by mail are not penalized for failing to include a copy the affidavit attached to the envelope when they return their ballots by fax.
New Orleans stands on the eve of one of the most important elections in its history. On May 20, 2006, a run-off election will be held for several key leadership positions in city government. Those elected will help lead the city through the difficult period of rebuilding and reconstruction that lies ahead.
The effort to locate and send information to displaced voters scattered throughout the country has sparked an unprecedented mobilization of civil rights organizations and community groups around the U.S. The Louisiana Voting Rights Network, a partnership of both local and national non-partisan, non-governmental organizations who have voting rights as a part of our organizational mandate, has been working diligently to help reach displaced voters wherever they now reside.
The Network believes it is constitutionally essential that every displaced voter have access to the political process and the information necessary to cast ballots that will be counted. Now is a time for all Louisianans to improve the quality of the absentee voting process and ensure that every vote counts.
A full list of Louisiana Voting Rights Network member organizations is as follows: ACLU Foundation of Louisiana, ACORN, Advancement Project, African American Leadership Project, Common Cause, Greater New Orleans Urban League, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, League of Women Voters of Louisiana, Louisiana Unity `06 Coalition, NAACP Gulf Coast Advocacy Center, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, NAACP of Louisiana, NAACP, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, National Urban League, People For the American Way Foundation, and VOTE (Voice Of The Ex-offender).
