Friday, Sep. 19, 2008

Our View: Students away at college can vote

It's well known that people ages 18 to 29 are not as likely to vote as their older counterparts are. Many assume that this is because they're apathetic or disengaged.

But there's another reason: Too often, election officials actively discourage young people from voting. We're seeing this now, especially in battleground states.

Here's one example. Inside Higher Education has reported that in Virginia Tech University's county, a registrar issued a press release telling students that if they register to vote at their college address, their parents will no longer be able to declare them as dependents in income-tax filings, that the students could lose their scholarships and that they could lose health, auto or other insurance coverage.

None of this is true. But this county is not alone in spreading such untruths.

The Virginia State Board of Elections on its Web site tells students to consider the following questions before registering to vote where they go to school: Are you claimed as a dependent on your parents' income-tax return? Do you have a scholarship that would be affected? Would your health, automobile or other insurance coverage be affected?

The U.S. tax code explicitly allows dependents to live away from home while attending school. And students covered on their parents' health insurance plans aren't affected if they register to vote in another county or state. Financial aid has nothing to do with where a student votes.

Virginia isn't the only place this is happening. Other states and local communities make it difficult for students to vote. This stuff needs to be exposed. People everywhere should stand up for voting rights.

This year, young people already have shown their interest in politics; a record 6.5 million under age 30 voted in the presidential primaries and caucuses. Now, as students move to college residences for the fall term and voter registration deadlines approach, college administrators and students need to fight for their right to vote in the November election.

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