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Sunday, September 11, 2005
Katrina Voting
Posted by Bob BrighamFrom the LA Times:
Ernest Johnson, head of the Louisiana NAACP, called Friday for Congress to pass emergency legislation to extend special protections of the Voting Rights Act that expire in 2007. The law is meant to ensure access to the polls for black voters.Johnson says the hurricane has potentially disenfranchised 1.5 million voters, many of them black.
"A lot of voters have been displaced, and they could be out of their voting jurisdiction, with toxins in the water, for a year or more," Johnson said. The expiring provision of the law requires jurisdictions in 15 states to clear changes in election laws with the Justice Department to ensure the changes do not disadvantage minority groups.
"We were going to fight for the extension anyway. Now, we want to move up the debate, to talk about this in 2005 instead of 2007, so we do not have to worry," Johnson said. The provision, he said, would protect voters as precincts are moved and absentee ballots are mailed.
It is a good article and an important issue. People from Louisiana should be able to vote in Louisiana. This needs to happen, we can't let Katrina disenfranchise voters.
Posted at 11:45 AM in Louisiana | Technorati