Judge Won't Delay New Orleans Vote

A federal judge on Monday refused to delay New Orleans' April 22 mayoral election and told lawyers to identify any problems that might hinder displaced residents' ability to vote and solve them.

"I recognize that there is still room for improvement in that electoral process," U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle said.

Civil rights groups had returned to federal court in hopes of blocking what would be the city's first municipal elections since Hurricane Katrina.

The Aug. 29 storm flooded 80 percent of the city, destroying some polling places and scattering more than half the city's predominantly black population of nearly half a million people.

Louisiana officials proposed allowing mail voting for residents now living in other states and opening satellite polling places across the state for residents who can't get to New Orleans to cast their votes. But some black leaders argued the plan didn't do enough to provide all displaced residents with the opportunity to vote.

The city elections had been set for February but were postponed. The postponement led to a lawsuit by some residents who wanted no delays. Lemelle never ordered the election, but made it clear to state officials who wanted an election by late April. State officials then set the April 22 date.

Mayor Ray Nagin, criticized in some quarters for his response to the hurricane, is running for re-election against nearly two dozen opponents, including Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu and Audubon Institute chief executive Ron Forman.