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Published: August 31, 2009
Related:
Task force urges lower barrier for college kids registering to vote
New voter residency rules approved by the State Board of Elections are aimed at settling an election season issue that often involves college students.
The rules approved Saturday would allow college students to register to vote at their campus addresses. The rules say a person’s primary home is the physical place where he or she lives, and is considered to be the center of a person’s “domestic, social and civil life.“
In previous election cycles, conflicting opinions were issued by local registrars across the state on the use of dorm addresses as permanent residences by student voters.
Students’ registering to vote with their campus addresses became controversial locally after Liberty University registered 4,200 students to vote ahead of the 2008 presidential election.
Previously, a registrar could consider several factors in determining an individual’s domicile, but the General Assembly amended the state code this year and directed the Board of Elections to issue statewide guidelines.
The U.S. Department of Justice must approve the new rules before they can be implemented.
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And in another thread you said: “I don’t believe voting matters, but I now plan to register and vote for Deeds.“
Voting doesn’t matter? If it doesn’t why are you critical of other people voting? If you don’t vote, you can’t complain.
And here is the problem with allowing those who are out of state students vote in a local election. From brief research, the LU folks don’t allow the Democratic party on their campus. This should disqualify them from being taken seriously as an institution as far as I am concerned. Is the administration of LU directing a 4,200 voting block, many I would guess are not Virginia natives, to vote the way the administration or Falwell Jr. would have them vote in an election to determine issues where they are not going to be residents. Is that fair? Is that democracy? If Liberty students are residents of Virginia I’m happy for them to vote, but if not, then they should not be allowed to vote in elections that effect the local public interest due to the transient nature of their existence in Lynchburg.
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