1,000 Republican Students Denied Right to Vote

Generation GOP - Arkansas ^ | Oct. 22, 2002

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

1,000 Republican Students Denied Right to Vote

Posted Tuesday, October 22, 2002 | Email a Comment

Student Voter Rights Denied By Clark County Judge
Democrats to Blame for Disenfranchisement of Registered Voters

Arkadelphia, AR In what is perhaps one of the most egregious acts of voter disenfranchisement in Arkansas history, Judge John A. Thomas a Clark County circuit judge today issued a decision to prohibit registered students from voting who attend Ouachita Baptist University and Henderson State University. The decision comes after a complaint was filed by Floyd Thomas Curry, an Arkadelphia resident and the son of a local Democratic candidate.

"We are absolutely outraged by this decision that will leave hundreds of students without a place to vote and without a voice," said Bryant F. Adams, political director of Generation GOP and a leader in the Ouachita Baptist College Republican organization. "This will not stand - the students and the state will not let this stand."

Students at Ouachita Baptist University and Henderson State University along with Generation GOP registered over 1,000 new students to vote, the majority of whom were Republican and supported Party candidates. Unofficial polls at Ouachita Baptist University suggest that the student body of over 3,000 students is more than 80% Republican in leaning.

"This injunction against students was a calculated move to keep Republican youth from voting," said R. Stuart Jones, chairman of Generation GOP. "It is extremely important to get young people interested in voting and in the electoral process - denying them their right to vote is not a proper introduction to democracy."

Generation GOP is working with several allied organizations including the College Republicans, Teenage Republicans and Young Republicans to organize a rally against the disenfranchisement of legal voters at Ouachita Baptist University and Henderson State University.

 

[Cold Heat]

Sarah Huckabee, vice president of Ouachita Baptist's student senate, said she would "do anything I can in order to be able to vote because I feel I have that right and I have earned that right to vote."

I think I see what is going on here.

The republican students took advantage of a democrat back door to election fraud and a democrat(of all people) challenged it. And.........a democrat judge ruled the practice illegal, even though they apparently have been doing it for years.

Arkansas politics folks!

[another cricket]

Ohm said some of the 807 people listed on voter rolls with a Ouachita Baptist address and the 112 listed with a Henderson address could be permanent residents of the county who live on campus.

I wondered about this. Some campuses do have some on campus housing for the faculty and caretakers.

It sounds like the ruleing may be overturned. Thanks for finding this.

Sorry if I have been a bother. I do have a tendency to nit-pick.

a.cricket

[Cold Heat]

Youre not a bother. Bother me anytime.

You forced me to dig and investigate. It's better than making a hasty decision.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

This ruling is because the kids are registered to vote at their home, and can't vote where they go to school.

But they can vote in Florida or Missouri or Pennsylvania...

[SCHROLL]

Actually this should apply to students at EVERY university and college nationwide. They don't live there, they only attend school there. The tuition bill doesn't go to the dorm, it goes home to mom and pop and that's where these kids LEGALLY reside (outside of the students that foot the bill for their own schooling and off campus housing that is). If the GOP had any balls, they'd use this case as precedent and file suit on every campus nationwide. This would have the effect of crushing the Dem's fraud machine. It'd be funny as hell to wake up in a few days and see that Greyout Davis had dropped 20% in the polls.

[GOPcapitalist]

They are not "disenfranchising" the young. They are upholding law regarding residency and registering to vote. Dependent students are legal residents of the state where their supportive parents/guardians.

I don't know the Arkansas statutes on this matter, but based on other states, that is not necessarily the case. Some states permit you to register at the place you are currently living so long as it is not a business. This includes college dormitories and other on campus houses.

I also know that the United States Census collects its count based upon where a person is residing at the time of the count. They specifically instruct parents NOT to include college student children on their form. They circulate separate forms to colleges, who in turn pass them out in the dormitories.

[Kuksool]

"If the GOP had any balls, they'd use this case as precedent and file suit on every campus nationwide."

Right on! MN & WI would be good places to file suit.

[mvpel]

If you don't know the Arkansas statutes on this matter, see post #90 in this thread, among others. Arkansas does not permit students or military temporarily residing in a given location in connection with their student/military duties to register and vote there.

The Census is an entirely different story.

[Salvation]

A. Thomas a Clark County circuit judge

Does this guy know anything about the Constitution? Grrrrr!

[Gone_Postal]

What the hell kind of crap is this
Who the hell is this judge and where does he get the right to say who can or cannot vote.

[Boiler Plate]

I registered to vote while I was school. I fail to see the reasoning here.

[mvpel]

He's not saying jack sh!t about who can or cannot vote, the LAW is, section 7-5-201(b)(6) of the Arkansas Election code. Just because the law has come as such a big surprise to so many people doesn't mean that it's not the law.

And the only reason it's only being enforced in one county is that the judge is a COUNTY judge and has no jurisdiction outside that county.

[mvpel]

Your state might have allowed you to register to vote while in school. Arkansas law does not.

[Republican Wildcat]

I guess it would depend on the law in each individual State. In Kentucky you have residence if you are living there 30 days prior to the election. (You, of course, cannot legally vote in another State and in Kentucky).

[Republican Wildcat]

Sounds like the judge has invented a new law, based on that story. If the students are living at the address for the time mandated under law, then they ARE residents.

[Boiler Plate]

I still see no reason as to why students should not be allowed to vote where they are in school.

[Republican Wildcat]

With all due respect, you are just plain wrong.

[redhead]

"Calm down people This ruling is because the kids are registered to vote at their home, and can't vote where they go to school."

When I read the article, the thought occurred to me that these kids need to go HOME to vote.

[CyberAnt]

Seems like the kids should have been told how to get an absentee ballot?? Hmmmm?

But ... we all know - if it were democrat children - it wouldn't be fair to keep them from voting!!

[Republican Wildcat]

You'd lose quite a few GOP votes that way. Canvassing/Voter Registration drives are very effective for the GOP on college campuses. Many of the left-wing nuts just make a lot of noise and don't bother participating in the process.

And yes, we do live "here" 9 months out of the year (in some cases longer) and are residents of the community. I strongly disagree with you.