The New Orleans elections
Tomorrow, April 22, is a big day in the Big Easy: the first municipal elections in New Orleans since the arrival of Hurricane Katrina almost 8 months ago.
With only 45% of the city returned -- African-American voters being disproportionally absent, and evacuees facing numerous obstacles to voting -- what's certain is that whomever is elected, they won't represent a large swath of the city's population. The city's newly-elected leadership will also have their hands tied by the fact that New Orleans is broke, and that major business interests are still setting the tone of the city's rebuilding process.
Our Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch project now features two important and unique takes on the elections, both by New Orleans residents: Jordan Flaherty sizes up the elections and how they relate to the groundspring of activism at the neighborhood level, and Lance Hill shares his first-hand experience trying to vote by absentee ballot.
Look for more coverage of these historic elections in the coming days.
With only 45% of the city returned -- African-American voters being disproportionally absent, and evacuees facing numerous obstacles to voting -- what's certain is that whomever is elected, they won't represent a large swath of the city's population. The city's newly-elected leadership will also have their hands tied by the fact that New Orleans is broke, and that major business interests are still setting the tone of the city's rebuilding process.
Our Gulf Coast Reconstruction Watch project now features two important and unique takes on the elections, both by New Orleans residents: Jordan Flaherty sizes up the elections and how they relate to the groundspring of activism at the neighborhood level, and Lance Hill shares his first-hand experience trying to vote by absentee ballot.
Look for more coverage of these historic elections in the coming days.
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