Thousands of Venezuelans head to New Orleans to vote

Thousands of Venezuelans have begun making their way from Miami to New Orleans by car, bus and plane to vote in their homeland's presidential election Sunday.

With just six weeks of preparation, Venezuelans in Florida have organized to raise money, contract buses and arrange car pools. Organizers said they expected a turnout similar or higher than that of last October, when 8,500 Venezuelans cast ballots in New Orleans.

"It's been pretty amazing how people have responded since the first announcement that Chavez died," said Gilda Sollami of Voto Donde Sea, a group of students and young professionals that promotes voting outside Venezuela. "They showed a lot of interest."