New Orleans Voting On the Future

Residents of New Orleans are starting to cast their ballots to pick the next mayor for the city, which was heavily damaged in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Mayor Ray 'Whiplash' Nagin is facing a slate of candidates eagar to put Nagin out of our collective misery.

Today, nearly two weeks before the official election day, the first votes will be cast in New Orleans' unprecedented mayoral contest, which is taking place among an electorate that is dispersed around the country.

Voters meeting certain qualifications can cast their ballot for one of more than 20 candidates at a select early voting precinct set up around Louisiana.

At the moment, there's a lull in the legal challenges posed by civil rights groups which have sought to postpone the April 22 election, arguing that the voting process is unfair to minorities.

This isn't unfair to minorities. It's unfair to Nagin and his supporters who realize that those who are coming back to New Orleans are in no mood to vote for him and his cronies because of his massive failures before, during, and after Katrina. Those seeking to delay the election think that providing more time will enable more of their supporters to get back to New Orleans or get themselves in contact with election officials to cast ballots for Nagin and the policies they support.

It remains to be seen just how many displaced New Orleans residents actually want to return or want to cast ballots in the NOLA race when they may have already settled down elsewhere in the country. The Times Picayune has profiles of the candidates. The paper has also endorsed Ron Forman for Mayor.