NEW ORLEANS — With just over two weeks to go until we know whether or not there will be a recall vote on Mayor Cantrell, many have raised questions and concerns about the process to certify the signatures on the recall petition.
Amid multiple calls for transparency on the registrar, WWLTV has now asked multiple times if we can see the process and if they can answer a few questions.
Monday, WWLTV filed a public records request with the Registrar’s office.
They pointed to a state law requiring a written request with 25 signatures from qualified voters, in order to hand over copies of the signatures on the petition. They said after a written request is submitted it could take up to 40 days to hand over the records.
The same law they pointed to, also says the records of each registrar are public records and at all times during office hours shall be open to inspection, except the early voting confirmation sheets of voters.
Monday we walked into the Registrar’s office, quoted the exact law to them and asked to inspect the records, they said no.
“Unfortunately you can’t it’s still a work in progress,” Sandra Wilson, the Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters said. “Well right now we’re inundated with early voting and other activities and certifying this, and we would not be able to do this at this time.”
She also declined to give us a time when it would be more convenient to have us inspect the records.
The secrecy around the recall concerns Councilmember Helena Moreno.
“The whole process around the recall there just needs to be as much transparency as possible so people can trust the process at the end of the day and already with what we're seeing is just a complete lack of transparency by the elections officials both the secretary of state and the registrar of voters,” Moreno said.
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