GOP Gutting Student Voting Rights

Started by Rhys, March 07, 2011, 11:41:37 AM

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Rhys

As seen in the Washington Post, now their push in several states, amongst other restrictions, is to make it so college students can't vote in the state where they're attending school. As you'll see in the article, at least one of the major backers has been open in his statements that college students are ignorant, inexperienced and thus vote Democrat. Of course, Scott Walker is one of those pushing for a more restrictive voting bill... a bill also held up by the Democrats leaving the state in protest of the anti-union laws.

Right now, aside from saying that I'm not surprised but I am rather upset by it, my more detailed opinions on this matter are still formulating. What are your thoughts?

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Oniya

Are they allowed to vote in their home state, such as by absentee ballot?
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Callie Del Noire

I don't see a problem either way if said student declares residency in the town he attends school in. As a college student my first year I had to file TWO returns state tax wise. If it had been an election year and I had been there long enough I'd have registered to vote

As for photo ID, I think it should be looked into. I've seen enough dead people found on the voting roles voting in some areas I've lived in (both parties) that something needs to be done. And I know that there have been folks who voted in multiple districts the last election.  My dad caught one woman with FIVE voter registration cards when he was a ballot volunteer.

Rhys

QuoteAre they allowed to vote in their home state, such as by absentee ballot?

I'm still looking into just that, actually. With my disability, I vote through an absentee ballot so it came to mind immediately after reading the article. With the other new restrictions being placed we'll see though. From the way the articles on this are written (such as HERE for another example) to be able to vote one is going to have to have a valid ID from the state they're voting in if this passes (IE: A student from CT would be required to have a valid Wisconsin state ID or WI Driver's License to vote in Wisconsin).

How that impacts one's ability to acquire an absentee ballot in that particular state is still up in the air. In looking at rules regarding student voters and associated residency issues on various state voting sites, the process seems at least mildly convoluted compared to the standard ability to vote in the state you are currently in.

O's and O's

My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation ~Jane Austen

Callie Del Noire

As a former military voter who has used an absentee ballot for president since the early 90s, it is easily the most confusing and annoying way to vote. 

Zakharra

 This is one of the most stupid things to come out. Denying collage  students the ability to vote? Hell no. They have every right to vote.

Callie Del Noire

Quote from: Zakharra on March 07, 2011, 12:47:29 PM
This is one of the most stupid things to come out. Denying collage  students the ability to vote? Hell no. They have every right to vote.

Denying them the vote. Illegal, yes.
Denying them to vote in an area where they aren't residents legally? Possibly. (depends on how this new law contradicts voter registration laws)

I'm all for more defined voting registration. BOTH parties are infamous in regions they have control of for having whole graveyards voting the party line.

BUT it's a tricky slope between better definition and disenfranchisement. This feels more of the latter than the former.

Zakharra

Quote from: Callie Del Noire on March 07, 2011, 01:16:16 PM
Denying them the vote. Illegal, yes.
Denying them to vote in an area where they aren't residents legally? Possibly. (depends on how this new law contradicts voter registration laws)

I can see why the second one would be a bit questionable, but reasonable.

QuoteI'm all for more defined voting registration. BOTH parties are infamous in regions they have control of for having whole graveyards voting the party line.

BUT it's a tricky slope between better definition and disenfranchisement. This feels more of the latter than the former.

Definitely. I'd prefer for voting districts to be clear and consice, not looking like gerrymandered forms, and clearing up the voter registrations. Photo ID makes sense to help weed out the frauds.

Callie Del Noire

Quote from: Zakharra on March 07, 2011, 02:10:18 PM
I can see why the second one would be a bit questionable, but reasonable.

Definitely. I'd prefer for voting districts to be clear and consice, not looking like gerrymandered forms, and clearing up the voter registrations. Photo ID makes sense to help weed out the frauds.

One of my most enjoyable moments of late was the outright REFUSAL of the NC Democrats to turn redistricting over to a bipartisan group till they lost control of the state house in the last election. Suddenly after losing a lot of leverage they were all for it. I'm still watching the NC REPUBLICANS to see if they do a bipartisan group now that they have control. Several states have started doing it and I think a few have had a bipartisan group for redistricting for a while. (Iowa for one if I recall).

I think Florida is in the process of trying it out (got to check my facts on that) so I am curious to see how my district and others will change soon


itsbeenfun2000

In Illinois the dead people vote in Chicago. This is offset by the Cows downstate voting there.

HockeyGod

Quote from: itsbeenfun2000 on March 07, 2011, 02:34:17 PM
In Illinois the dead people vote in Chicago. This is offset by the Cows downstate voting there.

Cute.

Back to topic...

If I'm a college student living temporarily in a different location than where my residency is, I should be able to vote in my college area. Why?

First, for 4, 6, 8, 10, or more years that I'm in school the majority of my income and sales taxes are collected locally. These dollars are used to support infrastructure and initiatives decided at a local level. As such I should have the ability to help decide who the majority of the people are that make decisions about my money (city/town, county, region, etc.).

Second, it is unfair for the people back in my official residency that I, who don't live there full-time, make decisions that affect them locally. My frame of mind is for the community in which I live as a college student. Perhaps there are no colleges in my community back home, but there are other pressing community needs that must be addressed. As a student far away I have not had the ease to fully understand the candidate positions through papers, debates, forums, etc. and it would be difficult to make informed decisions.

Now, it's different about actually being elected to office. I need to live in the community to understand community needs, gaps, and wants.

itsbeenfun2000

Residency is where you live. I think the majority of college students will tell you they consider their college town home.

Callie Del Noire

That depends.

When I went to school that first term, I wasn't yet LEGALLY a resident (NC requires something like 6 months prior to claiming residency). If I keep my out of state license and file an out of state tax return, I'm not a resident. If I change my home of residence to my dorm address, file a tax return with that state and get their license then I'm a resident.

Some students want it both ways.


HockeyGod

Quote from: itsbeenfun2000 on March 07, 2011, 03:19:41 PM
Residency is where you live. I think the majority of college students will tell you they consider their college town home.

Officially, residency is not where you live. For example, to qualify for a program here for MinnesotaCare you must have Minnesota residency. Residency does not mean you live in Minnesota. You must have lived in Minnesota for a very specific amount of time.

For college students, you must prove residency with transcripts, student ID...for me in undergrad I was able to use a bill from the electric company which had my name on it and my student ID.

itsbeenfun2000

For me, which was ages ago, you had to live in the town for 30 days.

Callie Del Noire

Quote from: itsbeenfun2000 on March 07, 2011, 03:44:33 PM
For me, which was ages ago, you had to live in the town for 30 days.

It varies by area. Some require 90 days or more. Always ask as soon as you arrive. I know there is some concern about 'double dipping' ie.. Voting in your college town AND by absentee ballot.


Rhys

Many students live in the city/state where they attend college for a majority of the year and a lot of them continue to live in their college town, returning home very rarely. They pay taxes on the income they make there. If the census goes on while they're there they have to put down that they're residing in that city/state which allows the state to collect federal, population-based aid based off their presence. When the state cuts college funding,  the multitude of them attempting a state university have the education they're paying for negatively impacted by it.

However, requirements to meet the bare minimum on being a resident in their college town, which they may very well consider 'home,' are often rather unreasonable when it comes to college students (and additional, varying restrictions are often in place at different schools). Most students that go back to their parents for a couple summer months don't return to their college town with enough time to meet the minimum required days in state to get a state license prior to the start of a new semester. Furthermore, acquiring their license requires them to surrender their out of state licenses and to purchase a license/ID imposing an unnecessary financial burden on college students who, in my experience, are rather strapped for cash and who may very well just be making the purchase, if this law is passed, so they're capable of voting. Currently, using Wisconsin as the example, such students can provide other forms of documentation that prove they reside in the state for college. Then they are allowed to vote without all the extra hoop jumping.

Frankly, I can see the opposing point when it comes to votes for state legislators. I don't agree with it as those state legislators heavily impact the funding of public colleges, but I can understand it. It becomes a whole different ballgame with presidential elections and the like though. Especially when you consider that Republican legislators are currently trying to get rid of early voting, election day registration, some forms of pre-registration, etc. It imposes a mountain of burdens that serve no real purpose other than to disenfranchise young voters who traditionally vote for the party the people passing these bills oppose. 

Frankly, as far as voter fraud goes, its going to happen. We have checks and balances in place to prevent some of it, but that's only ever going to go so far. But we're not talking about dead people voting. We're talking about living, American citizens having needless roadblocks put in their way when they try to exercise their right to vote. And we're talking about, at least in one case, lawmakers who've been recorded saying that these students don't possess sufficient life experience to vote working toward passing laws that make it harder for them to do so.
O's and O's

My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation ~Jane Austen

Jude

Do you have any clips of the people who are trying to push this using that as a justification?  I would like to see them.  Any evidence you can present that casts this as an attack on the college-bound and not an attempt at reducing voter fraud would be greatly appreciated.  I wouldn't really be surprised either way.  While voter fraud is of great concern to Republicans, trashing higher education seems almost as high on their list of priorities now adays.

Rhys

Its not using it directly as a justification, but here's the same guy pushing the bill in New Hampshire talking about it at the 9/12 Tea Party rally. He complains about the same day registration voters in the last 30 seconds of this clip or so, cites it being the students specifically, and talks about how they lack life experience and just vote with their feelings. This is the same guy that's quoted in the originally posted article as labeling these students as 'foolish' and saying 'Voting as a Liberal. That's what kids do.'

O'Brien wants to limit voting rights

You have to strain to hear it (or at least you do out of my crappy speakers) because its being taped by a Democrat staffer who's clearly being incognito. Also the rest of that speech can be found in parts on Youtube if you look around.

O's and O's

My idea of good company is the company of clever, well-informed people who have a great deal of conversation ~Jane Austen

Noelle

Whatever happens, college voting registrations needs to be made easier and clearer. At the last election, not even the school knew what was going on and informed students they could use their college ID as one form of identification when signing up. This didn't go over well, clearly, and a big chunk of students were turned away at the polls and ended up protesting at the college because they then missed their chance to vote and were not allowed to try and recast later when they found the error.

As far as I know, however, all of my out-of-state friends voted via absentee -- the school even set up registration and voting information in the student center to make the process easier. I'm not sure how difficult it is, but they seemed to get along fine.