Citizens of New Orleans will be disenfranchised by the current voting policy for the New Orleans April 22, 2006 election.
Voting in person is required for all residents (current or displaced) who registered to vote by mail after September 25, 2005. These current and displaced voters may only vote early at the New Orleans Registrar of Voter's office. These current and displaced voters may only vote in person on Election Day, April 22, 2005 at their residential polling place. If their residential polling place is one of the 300 destroyed out of 442, they must vote at a new polling place.
New Orleans residents have lost 300 of the 442 polling places. No effort has been made to publicize the new polling places that current and displaced residents must use on Election Day. To determine whether a polling place was destroyed, current and displaced residents must call the Louisiana Secretary of State Elections Division (1-800-883-2805) or navigate the Louisiana Secretary of State Elections Division's webpage to the "Precinct Locator" to determine their new polling place.
Displaced residents who choose to vote by absentee must fill out a "Displaced Voter Affidavit" to vote by absentee ballot. Louisiana RS 18:200 defines affidavit as "an oath or affirmation signed by the affiant before a notary public, or before a deputy registrar of voters or two residents of the parish who sign as witnesses to the registrant's signature." No effort has been made to publicize that the "Displaced Voter Affidavit" does not have to be witnessed by a notary public or residents of Orleans Parish.
Early voting at satellite polling places is only allowed for current and displaced residents who registered to vote on or before September 25, 2005. No effort has been made to provide for early voting at satellites outside of Louisiana. No effort has been made to provide satellite voting for displaced residents on the day of the election, April 22, 2006.