Thinking about NOLA's election today, it really makes me no difference whether incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin, or challenger Mitch Landreau, wins.  That's for the voters of New Orleans to decide.

What is foremost on my mind, is their access to the ballot box, to make their wishes known.

Reading the press reports today, it seems as though some evacuees were bused in from places like Atlanta, Georgia and Houston, Texas in order to vote.  And some were expected to drive to NOLA in their own cars for the vote.

But the real question is: why should they have to go through all that trouble?

Why should someone displaced by Hurricane Katrina, now living in Atlanta, have to treck all the way to New Orleans to cast a ballot?

Satellite voting stations should have been established in all of the major cities where evacuees have taken up residence.

This country set up satellite voting stations for Iraqi-Americans, in order to allow them to cast votes in Iraq's elections.  ABSENTEE IRAQI VOTERS

Yet, we failed to do that for our own displaced Americans.

Are we spreading democracy over there, so we don't have to spread it over here?

New Orleans run-off election too close to call

Less than 100 votes separate mayor Nagin, challenger Landrieu