Don't let the clients get away!

I just posted something about the New Orleans absentee ballot follies, and there's already more:

Federal officials dealt a major setback to the chances of holding citywide elections in New Orleans on Feb. 4 by denying state officials records showing where hurricane-displaced voters are living, state election officials said Tuesday.

Secretary of State Al Ater said he has written officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency seeking a reversal of the denial, which was issued Friday.

A FEMA spokeswoman in Washington, D.C., said the data Ater is seeking are protected by federal privacy laws and cannot be released to state officials.

Ater said that "by no fault of their own, more than 299,000 registered voters in Orleans Parish have been displaced." In his appeal letter -- also sent to members of the state's congressional delegation -- Ater said, "The absence of FEMA's assistance greatly hinders our attempt to conduct this election in February, and, in my opinion, leaves us with few options."

Try, "If they aren't back by February, they've moved".