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Associated Press
Attorney General Bob McDonnell
RICHMOND — Legislation that could affect voter registration for college students is being considered for the General Assembly session in January, Attorney General Bob McDonnell said Tuesday.
“There has been some confusion” in several localities about residency requirements for registering to vote, McDonnell said. Staff members in his office are considering language to include in the bill, he said.
Registrars in Harrisonburg, Montgomery County and Hampton Roads all took different approaches to applications filed by college students who wanted to vote locally, McDonnell said.
His remarks, made during the annual AP Day at the Capitol event, came in response to questions from The News & Advance about student voter registration.
In Lynchburg — where thousands of Liberty University students registered for the November election — City Council members debated extensively during a work session last week before agreeing to urge legislators to seek clearer standards for residency requirements.
Registrars in several localities are asking state officials for more guidance about whether students, particularly those living in dormitories, should be considered permanent residents of their communities.
In addition to the high voter activity that accompanies all presidential elections, the candidates’ desire to register enough new voters to help them carry Virginia and capture its electoral votes elevated registration issues to a new level this fall.
Registrars in some localities asked student applicants to fill out questionnaires to help decide on their residency status. Others warned students that establishing residency in college towns could affect their tax status or their parents’ tax deductions.
In Lynchburg, Liberty University officials delivered about 4,200 applications to the registrar’s office, and about 3,000 of those listed dormitory addresses. All the legible applications that met requirements for age and other standards were accepted.
Reader Reactions
GOP2009…you and I have at least one thing in common; I do not, thankfully, live in Lynchburg. When I travel outside the fifth district I say I am from Roanoke just so I do not get the negative response about Lynchburg’s most infamous character.
My “issue” with LU is the fundamentalist political environment they try to impose on others. I have respect for their personal belief system and for those on their path to finding their ‘rapture’ but the mixture of politics and religion doesnt work for me.
I don’t live in the city so you all could vote for Mo, Larry, and Curly for all I care – but honestly. If the LU students vote in a new council – could they do any worse than what is happening now??
Another uninformed quality post from Marie.
So no education happens at LU. Hmm.
If that is the case how do graduates get jobs and go to grad school?
You want to inspect their cars—you call that educated?
And wouldnt it be novel to educate at a college rather than attempting to influence politically from the pulpit?
.....and I wish LU would stick to educating students rather than attempting to influence elections from the pulpit.
You people should really start reading the law rather than making uninformed statements. Volunteers to check their cars, you kidding me? Perhaps you can convince all the retailers to deny the LU students access to their business as well! How about them apples? That will show em!
What about students from other schools voting? Will you check them too? Heck the city should commission a secret police force to follow all the LU students and employees around just to make sure they are paying their taxes.
I wish LU would tell the city to stick it and deny public access to their facilities and build that shopping center (can’t remember the name) in the county just for themselves. No more LU money going to the city! I am sure Marie will not mind paying more taxes to compensate for the loss – as long as the brainwashed kids are not allowed to vote that is all that matters!
The Virginia State Legislature is where the problem of college students voting from dorm rooms should be resolved. Tracey Howard, Radford City Voter Registrar deserves a “high five” for not accepting the easy path on this mess.
Had LU’s ego not been involved, this would never have been an issue: their desire to influence the presidential election and carry the state for McCain!!! Stunning.
Lynchburg should request “volunteers” check the records of the students for car taxes owed to the city.
Navigator73 is absolutely correct! With a Republican (vanishing breed), however, do not expect much from his office to correct the problem. He does not yet realize that his upcoming bid for governor will be for naught.
The Republicans lost drastically in spite of their best efforets. Look at the demographics and you will see that LU will eventually lose also.
Navigator prepare to be disfranchised! Those students will be mobilized for all future elections and they are growing at a pretty steady rate.
I frankly do not like some college kid that is from, say, Tazwell, and going to school here, to vote on candidates and issues that will affect me and not them when they graduate and likely go elsewhere. I live here, year ‘round, not just during the semesters. I depend on services provided through legistative action and proposed by particular politicians that directly represent me in city council, in the General Assembly, in Congress. I don’t appreciate people with no vested interest in my community to have a voice in the direction of my community, especially if they don’t actually LIVE here, and have not intention of staying once they graduate. Students with permanent addresses elsewhere in Virginia (and especially those who DO NOT live in Virginia) need to register in their locality, and perhaps apply for absentee balloting if they cannot be home to vote, in which case it would be a good idea for registrars to develop methods for making voting for out of town students a smooth process. I think that is the most logical and fairest solution that does not disenfranchise anyone.
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