Friday, March 03, 2006
THE "STAR" IS FREE
Far-flung La. voters to receive mailingsThey'll explain how, when to cast ballots
TIMES PICAYUNE
By Ed Anderson
Capital bureau
(excerpt)
BATON ROUGE -- More than 700,000 displaced Louisiana voters will soon get information packets on how they can participate in local, state and federal elections this year. But a radio and television education campaign informing them of their voting rights has not gotten off the ground, officials said Thursday.
The mailing tells the voters how to apply for absentee ballots, deadlines to register to vote and mail in absentee ballots, and where to send the completed ballots and registration forms for April 1 and 29 elections in 34 parishes and the April 22 municipal elections in New Orleans.
Free said the printing and direct mail will cost a little more than $293,000 and are being paid for the state.
Marusak said the state hoped to have the radio and television commercials produced and running for all of March and April in markets where large concentrations of displaced Louisiana voters live. Now, it may be late March before the commercials start airing, she said.
She said the radio and TV commercials are aimed at informing voters of their rights and of whom to call for election information.
The broadcast commercials will cost about $370,000; a series of ads to run March 12 in newspapers in the state and in cities hosting large concentrations of displaced residents will cost about $311,000. Those also are being paid for by the state.
Free said broadcast commercials have been delayed because the office has had trouble finding an entertainment figure to act as spokesperson and a studio to tape the commercials. Free said she thinks that problem was solved Thursday when "a star" agreed to do the commercials free.
She did not identify the entertainer.
LPNS COMMENTARY: AGAIN, WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHO IS BEING PAID TO PRODUCE THESE ADS (PRINT,MAIL, RADIO, TV) AND HOW MUCH THEY ARE BEING PAID. WHAT PRINTERS AND STATIONS ARE BEING PAID AND HOW MUCH?
THE ABOVE ACCOUNTS FOR $1,000,000, HOW IS THE OTHER $500,000 THAT WAS APPROPRIATED BEING SPENT? THE "STAR" IS FREE, OBVIOUSLY NOTHING ELSE IS.
