Legislation affecting college voting being considered

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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.