DID YOU KNOW?
HB 14 would allow registered voters during the early voting period to vote at satellite locations outside the parish. Rep. Cedric Richmond assured that the centers would be set up in real time, so that someone voting at a registrar satellite office could not then have an absentee vote or vote elsewhere count. Richmond said positive identification would be required.
Rep. Steve Scalise asked that, with these safeguards, whether HB 12 that loosened election standards would be necessary. Richmond said it would, so as to assure “maximal participation.” Scalise replied, “Maximum participation might be achieved, but not the way the law intended.” He also wondered about poll watchers. Richmond stressed the same safeguards would be present, but Scalise thought 10 scattered sites were too much for monitoring by independent groups or candidates. He also expressed concern about technology failures.
Rep. Mike Walsworth wondered about how permanent the law was; Richmond said it could apply in any emergency plan situation. He also pointed out distances were a lot longer for rural folks, and said these people were “excluded.” Richmond claimed it was too expensive to do it in every registrars’ offices. He also wanted to know whether this courtesy should be extended to servicemen abroad, since it was not.
Rep. Billy Montgomery offered an amendment to prevent those who registered after the declared disaster from exercising this option. He said only those who were registered prior to the disaster should vote with this option. Others could vote in person or absentee. Richmond objected, saying sufficient safeguards to fraud existed without this. The amendment succeeded 54-39.
Rep. Kay Katz then proposed an amendment that would create a July 16, 2006 termination date, matching the date in HB 12, “in the spirit of that legislation.” It passed without objection.
Rep. Charlie Lancaster, a supporter of HB 12, suggested the plan too risky. Absentee ballots’ system worked before, but this was untried. He said the cost was unknown and New Orleans would have to foot the bill; if not, the state would have to. Registrars may not be ready technically to handle this pilot project. Potential lawsuits may cost the state even more. But Rep. Monica Walker said she believed this actually would add more protection. Rep. Donald Cazayoux argued the legislation would be almost the same with computer technology, but Lancaster said Sec. of State Al Ater could not guarantee the process could be ready and it may not work because the records could not be physically present at the satellite centers.
In closing, Richmond asserted that Ater said it could be done without a hitch. The bill was defeated 46-53.
DIDYOU KNOW?
Later, while debating on HB 44 which would consolidate some levee districts, Richmond got up, expressed extreme disappointment at the turn of events with HB 14 and levee reorganization, and asked for immediate adjournment. This is a type of motion that can be made at any time, so it had to be debated. During it, Rep. Don Cravins expressed the same, and said to continue the session “would be lying to ourselves” that anything substantive was being accomplished. Richmond said “this house is more divided than I’ve ever seen” and didn’t think meaningful tasks could be accomplished. The motion was defeated 24-77.
At this point, supporters of that motion, essentially black Democrats, absented themselves from subsequent votes.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“You can’t tell I’m a lot better-looking than Martiny?”
Lancaster, when mistakenly called “Rep. [Danny] Martiny” by Rep. Juan LaFonta.
SCORECARD:
Total House introductions: 99; total Senate introductions: 58.
Total House good bills: 11; total Senate good bills: 2.
Total House bad bills: 11; total Senate bad bills: 3.
Total House good bills heard in House committee: 5; total Senate good bills heard in Senate committee: 2.
Total House bad bills heard in House committee: 4; total Senate bad bills heard in Senate committee: 1.
Total House good bills passing House committee: 4; total Senate good bills passing Senate committee: 2.
Total House bad bills passing House committee: 4; total Senate bad bills passing Senate committee: 1.
Total House good bills passing the House: 3; total Senate good bills passing the Senate: 0.
Total House bad bills passing the House: 3; total Senate bad bills passing the Senate: 1.
Total House good bills heard in Senate committee: 1; total Senate bad bills heard in House committee: 0.
Total House bad bills heard in Senate committee: 2; total Senate bad bills heard in House committee: 0.
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