New Orleans Times Picayune

Monday, December 19, 2005

TIMELY ELECTIONS SEND CRUCIAL MESSAGE

Point of View

By former Secretary of State Jim Brown

The regular election date for citywide elections throughout New Orleans is less than two months away. The state's elections office is recommending that the election be postponed. Because of all that's happened throughout the greater New Orleans area, does it make sense to postpone the election for the next mayor and other city officials? The answer is no.

Elections officials in the secretary of state's office are saying that it will be almost impossible to hold this regularly scheduled election in a normal fashion. They point out that thousands of voters have temporarily moved away from the city, and that many precinct locations have either been destroyed or are inoperable. No doubt it will be difficult to carry on normal election activities.

But there is more at stake here. A lot more. It's of major importance to show the rest of the country that the city is bouncing back, and is capable of carrying on normal governmental functions.

The whole world watched just a few months ago as elections were being held in Iraq. Another round of elections took place there this week. A number of people risked their lives just to get to the polling locations. But it is important to show the world that they are capable of carrying on the normal functions of government.

We have a system in place where service members serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and throughout the world can vote by absentee ballot. Yes, it's true that thousands of New Orleanians are spread throughout the country. But they will be able to vote as absentees, just like service members overseas, if they cannot make it back to New Orleans on election day.

What about the difficulty in setting up polling locations? There are provisions in the law that allows consolidation of voting precincts. A large gym or warehouse could be used to set up a number of polling locations, particularly in areas like the 9th Ward that are sparsely populated.

Not enough voting machines? Hey, it's not a big state. What's the problem with trucking in voting machines from other parishes? Poll workers? Surely many regular poll workers from other parishes would volunteer their time to work at a polling precinct in New Orleans. They could be bused in for the day. Lots of folks are looking for a way to be of help.

I speak with some experience, having handled more elections than any other living secretary of state during the time I held this post in the 1980s. My office wrote then the present election code that is the law today.

Two reasons are listed in the law to postpone any election. First is to protect any person from exposure to danger. Second is to protect the integrity of the election process. Neither of these provisions should impede the orderly conduct of a New Orleans election.

This election can be held without major problems. And it's important to let the rest of the country know that the system here is up and running, and that both New Orleans and Louisiana can do the job.

Jim Brown was Louisiana's Secretary of State and chief elections officer from 1980 to 1988. He can be reached through his Web site at www.jimbrownla.com.