On voter registration, an uneasy consensus
Wednesday, October 1, 2008; 11:10 PM
With Virginia in play on a national political level for the first time in recent memory, voter registration drives have swept college campuses across the commonwealth. But the combination of students, uneasy registrars and eager registrants led to registration controversies from Blacksburg to Norfolk. Now, state officials say, a consensus has emerged: Virginia college students both from in and out of state can register freely at their college addresses.
Paul Platz/SPPSDebra Houchins, a sophomore psychology major, attempts to register voters on the Drillfield between classes in early September

Related: Forum on Voter Registration

While saying that state statutes pertaining to voter registration for all Virginians remain unclear, Gov. Tim Kaine said that students will be assumed to establish their domicile, the key legal point necessary for registrars to add them to the voter rolls, through their submission of a voter registration form.

"We don't cross-examine adults," about their reasons for declaring a domicile, Kaine said." And we should treat students the same way."

The events that would eventually forget his consensus began with a misleading memo from Montgomery County registrar Randy Wertz. It ended with the Virginia State Board of Elections Web site that a Syracuse law journal called one of the "scariest" sites for voters on the Internet was revamped and students in 141 of Virginia's 143 counties with the ability to register as they wished.

The road between the two, however, was a rocky one.

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You might be interested in... Related Topics: politics, randy wertz, obama, voter registration
Posted by: Anonymous at 10/02/08 In the 2004 election a high ranking democrat official 'accidentally' voted twice - once where he works in Chicago and once where he lives in southern Wisconsin. The democrats and their cronies all over VT apparently believe that all people have the right to vote and vote twice. Flag Abuse
Posted by: DK at 10/02/08 "Obama on the positive side actually taught constitutional law. " Yet he never understood what the 2nd Amendment means... I can only imagine how he'd interpret the other Amendments, considering he thinks "The People" means the militia... And wasn't Nancy Pelosi's Democratic House supposed to get something, anything, done in it's first 100 days? The only thing that produced was an approval rating for Congress that is worse than Bush's. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Frank at 10/02/08 Palin insists that women should give birth to the babies that were forced upon them by rape or incest, she has stated many times that she is against abortion in ALL cases (including rape and incest), and we all know she will only install judges who agree with her. McCain says what he thinks is popular even as he, Bush and the Republicans push our country into dept, destroy the status our nation once commanded, (but now has lost), shred the Constitution, unemploy millions, ship jobs overseas to our competitors, foreclose on millions of homes, and use your money to bailout business that ripped you off in the first place. John McCain, Sarah Palin, and the conservative republicans have already gone too far in destroying the moral foundations of our country. I urge you to keep this in mind in the coming election as we rebuild our nation together by voting for Obama, who stated that in his first 100 days he would eliminate all of Bush's unconstitutional signing orders. McCain and Palin are such 'reformers' they would like to overturn the Constitution! Obama on the positive side actually taught constitutional law. Flag Abuse
Posted by: J at 10/02/08 "One aspect of Virginia's open-armed registration policy is the potential for voter fraud. Students who live out of state and who do not offer obvious clues to registrars concerning their out-of-state status could, conceivably, vote in person in Blacksburg and by absentee at an out-of-state location. Within the commonwealth, the Virginia Election and Registration and Information System prevents multiple votes from being cast under a single name. However, because no national voter system exists, interstate fraud is nearly impossible to detect." -Thank you for bringing this point up. The left wingers in Ohio supported by Obama's campaign known as "ACORN" is registering voters illegally in multiple districts within the state. There are buses on all major campuses in Ohio bussing convicted felons, illiterates, and stoned college kids to register in multiple districts knowing that it is illegal. Yes this sounds hard to believe but it is happening. Hope that this stays out of VA. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Mike A. at 10/02/08 Hopefully someone told Radford's registrar about this consensus so he can stop sending pending denial letters because of a dorm address. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Ed at 10/02/08 This is possibly the finest article I have read in the Collegiate Times, in ten years of daily reading. I am very glad to see fully thought-out, long-format reporting that demonstrates this level of investigative dedication. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Nancy H. Armstrong at 10/02/08 Parent if you are concerned how this will affect your child's financial aid and insurance, contact a tax attorney or accountant as well your employer concerning insurance! Do not allow your child to change their home of record until you have done this. Virginia has strict laws about registering vehicles and changing drivers licenses, read up on these as well. Read up on personal property taxes because they could be affected by changing home of record. This is just a short list but you must seriously consider each one before changing anything. Unfortunately the campaigns are not telling you this. And especially Obama's campaign. As a parent with a child who just completed school not too long ago, I am beggin you to take note of all that I said. One last thing all college age kids up to the age of 25 must include their parents income on their FAFSA paperwork. This must be filled out whether you are seeking financial aid or not! Flag Abuse
Posted by: Chris B at 10/02/08 Good Reporting! You made the Google news-wire..now everybody has a chance to understand the obstacles facing young voters. Flag Abuse
Posted by: Arye Michael Bender at 10/02/08 The better educated young will invigorate the November election. They will help sweep away politics as usual. Talk about hope. This is it with a capital 'O', as in Obama! Flag Abuse






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