Posted on 08/30/2008 9:55:29 AM PDT by Darnright
A registrar drew fire for pointing out possible effects of students' registering to vote.
A Montgomery County official's attempt to outline state elections law for thousands of Virginia Tech students this week prompted a swift reaction from Barack Obama campaign officials, who worried the statement could have a "chilling effect" on a massive registration effort now under way.
Montgomery County Registrar Randy Wertz said he wrote the news release, distributed through the county's Web site, amid concerns that the hundreds of Tech students registering to vote using their Blacksburg addresses would essentially change their permanent address. That, he wrote, could affect students' scholarships or tax filings and would obligate them to change car registrations and their driver's license to their permanent address.
But Obama campaign officials said they had never heard of students' dependency status on their parents' tax forms affected by their voter registration and added that other laws the release cited are rarely enforced or subject to interpretation. Wertz issued a second statement two days later, saying the county cannot give out tax advice.
"They thought we might be intimidating the students and keeping them from registering," Wertz said. "That certainly was not our intent."
The Obama campaign's response highlights the state's newly minted battleground status, but it is also reviving long-held concerns that a gray area in state election law regarding residency could leave college students vulnerable to having their registrations challenged because of their transient status. Language in the state law could be interpreted to bar students from using their college address if they consider their residence temporary.
"What we believe is that if a student is living on campus, that's a perfectly acceptable residence to register to vote," Richmond-based Obama campaign spokesman Kevin Griffis said. Wertz said he agrees and has no plans to challenge anyone who lists their college address. But he said students with a different address than Blacksburg listed on their driver's licenses could have problems if they show up at a Montgomery County polling place without their voting card.
In Radford, however, Registrar Tracy Howard said he plans to call anyone listing a Radford University dorm room as an address to find out whether students consider their dorms their permanent residences. Radford's classes start Monday.
"A dorm is generally -- and I say generally -- the same thing as a long-term motel stay," he said. "There are people that don't have another place to stay, and they're perfectly eligible."
Griffis said Howard's interpretation sounded too narrow. "I think if we need to have a conversation with the registrar about the way he's interpreting the law, that's something we'll do."
He added, "We have done quite a bit of homework on this, and we've already worked through similar problems in other places."
Charlottesville Registrar Sheri Iachetta said she faces the same issues with University of Virginia students as registrars in Radford and Montgomery County. But the question of whether students can consider addresses at college permanent is one she said she leaves up to the voter.
"I'm not going to question anyone. They have to sign under penalty of perjury that the information they gave me was correct," Iachetta said. "They're 18 years of age and they're away from home, and they can make their own decision."
But she acknowledged the ambiguities in the law, saying that officials "ask for clarification every single year." Even so, Iachetta said she has focused most of her energy on educating students running registration drives rather than enforcing rules. It's an exciting time for registrars to have widespread engagement, she said, and she's stunned with the attitude some students have taken to voting.
"We had a young woman tell us that registering to vote was sexy," Iachetta said. "I said, 'Please, this is what I do.' I'm excited about all the enthusiasm ... but we do this every year."
Wertz, who said campus organizers are dropping off stacks of forms in the hundreds every few days, said he is similarly excited about the prospects of a huge youth turnout. But his focus is making sure elections run smoothly and fairly. That can be difficult when partisan groups see youth turnout as a political advantage, but as Wertz puts it, "We don't have a dog in this fight."
Griffis said that upon raising the concern, the campaign found Wertz "responsive, concerned about the students and making sure they're able to exercise their right to vote."
He said the campaign is now back to focusing on the registration effort.
Gail Gitcho, a spokeswoman for Republican John McCain's campaign, said although "the McCain campaign urges all young people to get involved in the democratic process," she noted that Democrats flush with donations have "money and staff to devote to voter registration efforts."
As a result, she said McCain campaign officials are taking a more targeted approach to registering voters rather than the blanket effort the Obama campaign is making.
great tagline - LOLed
thanks
Not sure. Prior to the election I would think a full-page newspaper ad that simply states the voter requirements, penalties and the ramifications of changing ones permanent state of residence to vote.
And the voter registration info is public record. After the election you can simply request the info and match up voters voting in the UVA area with their previous voting registration location and check both to see if they voted twice.
And that wouldn’t be considered voter intimidation?
Assuming they only vote in one of the locations... (doubtful).
That’s why I qualified my post with the phrase, “So long as students only vote in one place. . .”
>Not all college students are dependent on their parents for tuition or living expenses. But even so, their financial arrangements are none of the State’s business.<
It is when their parents in a different state use them for tax advantage, even when they register to vote in a different precinct, or even a different state.
Requiring a temporary college resident to vote with an absentee ballot doesn’t keep that person from voting. They simply have to complete a form.
>Alarmed because of voter fraud, or because you might be out-voted?<
Alarmed because democrats have used voter fraud for years to win elections in different states. Democrats don’t give a rat’s behind (pun intended) about rules or laws, when it comes to gaining power.
Yet another reason I lost all faith in the integrity of our voting system a long, long time ago. It is a farce!
I agree, unless you seek permanent off campus residence (in the state you go to school in)-which nullifies your residence/registration in another state. Then you shouldn’t have the right to vote in that state, get an absentee ballot instead (I did all throughout college) :)! I am from Indiana, but went to college in Virginia.
Translation: We want students to break the laws because when nobody thought to break the laws those laws didn't need to be enforced.
I think the county should get hold of the voter roles, and slap local taxes on every person who claims to be a permanent resident.
They should also confiscate their drivers licenses if they are from another state, because it is illegal to have a drivers licence from another state if you live in Virginia.
I was at VT in 1981, and I voted absentee in Maryland for Ronald Reagan. I would have never CONSIDERED voting at my college town, because I didn’t live there.
.
> I would have never CONSIDERED voting at my college town, because I didn’t live there.<
For the record, I voted in my hometown the years I went to college also.
I vote in my home district in Loudoun County, where my official legal residence is. So yes, in November, I'm voting to reelect Rep. Wolf.
That said, I vote conservative, so I would probably vote for Rep. Goode if I lived in the Fifth District.
This is true. Both tax law and Federal financial aid regulations consider a full-time college student as a dependent of his or her parents and thus legally domiciled with his or her parents, unless they meet certain criteria to gain independent status. One of those criteria is veterans of the armed forces.
Thank you!
>Both tax law and Federal financial aid regulations consider a full-time college student as a dependent of his or her parents and thus legally domiciled with his or her parents, unless they meet certain criteria to gain independent status.<
Thanks for confirming the above. Having just gone through completing a FAFSA, it’s pretty clear students are clearly connected to their parents, as far as the government is concerned. Therefore, they should vote where they live, not where they attend college.
Bump. You vote wherever you are legally domiciled. And, if you are financially dependent on your parents (if at least for tax purposes), then you are considered legally domiciled at the residence of your parents.
As a side note, anyone who willfully tries to vote twice (here at UVA or at Tech) and in their home jurisdiction ought to go to jail. Furthermore, anyone at UVA who makes a false statement to the Registrar of the County of Albemarle or the City of Charlottesville in order to vote twice ought to have honor charges brought up and upon conviction be expelled.
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