After an initial indefinite delay, a date has been set for elections in NO (via the AP): Governor Sets April 22 New Orleans Vote

Under pressure from a federal judge, Gov. Kathleen Blanco set an April 22 date for New Orleans’ elections, which were postponed after Hurricane Katrina scattered the city’s residents and destroyed hundreds of voting precincts.

Elections for mayor, City Council, sheriff and tax assessors will be held on that date.

The Legislature and the U.S. Justice Department still need to sign off on Louisiana’s emergency election plan, which includes beefed-up absentee balloting and the creation of “mega-polling” sites to replace those damaged by the hurricane.

This has to be done. Even given the scope of the disaster, we can’t just have elections shelved until everything is back to normal–especially since it is unclear what now constitutes “normal” for the Big Easy.