(Katrina) Evacuees Face Confusion In Louisiana Elections

[babylonsister]

http://www.click2houston.com/politics/8067595/detail.html

Evacuees Face Confusion In Louisiana Elections
Voters Can Only Register In 1 State

POSTED: 3:43 pm CST March 16, 2006
UPDATED: 9:59 pm CST March 16, 2006

HOUSTON -- New Orleans elections will be held next month and with the mayor's office up for grabs and the possibility of millions of federal dollars flowing into the city, it's an election that could shape the future of the Crescent City. Some evacuees trying to cast a ballot have been caught in a web of voter confusion, KPRC Local 2 reported Thursday.

The first step is to register. But that is also where confusion can begin.

"You are going to go in and get your driver's license and you are going to be asked if you want to vote and you'll say, 'Sure,'" said Beverly Kaufman, Harris County Clerk.

But saying yes to voter registration in Texas means having to give up Louisiana voting rights.

"Take care that you are not breaking any laws by registering twice. You need to be either here or there, but not both," Kaufman said.

It is just one of the hurdles facing Louisiana residents now living in Houston.

"If they are living here but want to vote back in Louisiana, they must comply with Louisiana law," Kaufman said.

That's easier said than done, according to Acorn's Katrina Survivor's Association.

lots more...