Blacks Prevented from Voting in New Orleans Sept. 18 Election
Tron Nick
Some voting sites did not have Voting machines until 3 p.m. Polls closed at 8 p.m.
Two civil rights groups have asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the Sept. 18 elections in New Orleans, saying voting machine problems prevented up to 58,000 voters, many of them black, from casting ballots. New Orleans, where nearly 70 percent of voters are black, was the only part of the state where voting machines were not delivered on time in the election. Voters cast ballots in a number of local elections, plus a statewide constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. The NAACP and ACORN, which represents the poor, said in a letter to the Justice Department that a federal investigation is required "in light of possible violations" of the Voting Rights Act. Polls opened at 6 a.m. in the election, but some voting sites did not have machines until 3 p.m. Polls closed at 8 p.m.[more ]
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