Student voting raises concerns

roanoke.com ^ | Saturday August 30, 2008 | Kevin Litten

[Let's Roll]

great tagline - LOLed

thanks

[VeniVidiVici]

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.

[TaxRelief]

And that wouldn’t be considered voter intimidation?

[TaxRelief]

Besides, a liberal vote in Charlottesville, Blacksburg, or whatever college town is one less liberal vote somewhere else.

Assuming they only vote in one of the locations... (doubtful).

[Huntress]

That’s why I qualified my post with the phrase, “So long as students only vote in one place. . .”

[Darnright]

>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.

[Darnright]

>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.

[Roccus]

Yet another reason I lost all faith in the integrity of our voting system a long, long time ago. It is a farce!

[JSDude1]

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.

[CharlesWayneCT]

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

Translation: We want students to break the laws because when nobody thought to break the laws those laws didn't need to be enforced.

[CharlesWayneCT]

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.

[CharlesWayneCT]

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.
.

[Darnright]

> 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.

[rabscuttle385]

UVA is in my district, a fairly solid conservative area, except for Charlottesville.

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.

[rabscuttle385]

Being in the military puts you in a whole different category, with different rules, than does your being a student at a college or university. In the latter case, in most instances you are still dependent on your parents for tuition and for much of your living expenses. If you are in the military, you are responsible for yourself.

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.

[rabscuttle385]

BTW: UVA is a beautiful institution. I had to be there for a few months earlier this year. I was impressed, and liked the Charlottesville area.

Thank you!

[Darnright]

>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.

[rabscuttle385]

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.