New Orleans Group Says It Collected Enough Signatures to Recall Mayor LaToya Cantrell
A group that has been working to recall New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell for the past six months addressed the media on Wednesday afternoon, dancing and proclaiming that they have collected enough signatures to force a recall election.
As WWL in New Orleans reports, organizer Eileen Carter said, "We have done our job, and so now it's time for the registrar of voters to do their job."
Calling itself "NoLaToya," a pun using the mayor’s name, Carter has stated that they would like to have the recall election as soon as possible.
During the course of the past year, Cantrell has been at the center of a number of high-profile scandals. She has defended a carjacking suspect in court and has endured criticism for getting into an argument in the restroom at a rap concert. Last week, she came under fire for allegedly using an obscene gesture toward a float in a Mardi Gras parade. All the while, the city has also been hit hard by violent crime and seemingly endless road projects.
Supreme Court Blocks Formation Of New Black Majority Voting District In Louisiana
As petition signatures for the recall of Cantrell are being counted, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin has urged Governor John Bel Edwards to move the verification of the list forward with new legislation.
According to WGNO, while the Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters verifies the signatures, it's a waiting game to see if the recall effort has actually gathered enough signatures to force a recall election.
A court hearing next week could help determine how many inactive voters are removed from the rolls. This could mean that the recall effort would require 6,000 fewer signatures.
According to a statement released on Friday morning, Ardoin attributes his work with the state legislature, which included improved death data from the state health department, for the office's ability to validate the signatures. He claims that his office has adhered to the rules to maintain the accuracy of the voter registration list, but he has also contacted the governor's office to demand that more be done.
The office has 20 days to complete the certification.
