College Dems protest plan to halt voting
By JOEL ELLIOTT
Staff Writer Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel Monday, January 29, 2007

Maine College Democrats are protesting a Republican bill that would disallow college students who do not live all year long in the state from voting in Maine elections .

Characterizing it as a partisan attempt at disenfranchising a large segment of Maine voters, Maine College Democrats plan to present their arguments before the Maine Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs at 1 p.m. Wednesday.

"I'm not naive; this is about targeting a demographic that does not vote Republican," Maine College Democrats President Henry Beck said on Saturday. "Instead of trying to make college more affordable or trying to get more Maine kids to stay in the state, they've drafted a bill that would effectively kick thousands of Maine kids off the voting rolls."

But the bill's sponsor, Rep. L. Gary Knight, R- Livermore Falls, said the bill is targeting dishonest voting practices, not Democrats, and called accusations of partisanship "ludicrous." College students who claim residency in Maine but spend summers or holidays in other states pose a threat to full- time residents, Knight said.

"What it does is disenfranchise Maine voters who are paying their taxes," he said. "I want these kids to become part of the political process. But I don't want them to determine who our governor is, and then head back to California or Michigan, or wherever they're from."

Knight said his bill served the interests of both Republicans and Democrats in Maine, and had received bipartisan support.

According to the Web site of the Maine Legislature, the bill, titled "An Act Concerning Student Voter Registration," is cosponsored by eight legislators -- all Republicans.

Knight also accused Maine college students of committing large-scale voter fraud by casting absentee ballots while also voting in Maine elections.

"They laugh about it, it's a joke," Knight said. "They can overwhelm a community."

Knight also said that he had no evidence to substantiate these allegations.

Republicans made similar accusations against college students in the 2002 elections, according to the student newspaper of the University of Maine at Orono.

Beck pointed to this as being a pattern of partisanship and intimidation among Republicans toward students in Maine.

"Our parents and grandparents were the ones who taught us how important voting is, and this bill is the opposite of caring about your community," he said.

Joel Elliott -- 861-9252

jelliott@centralmaine.com


Reader comments

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Brian of West Gardiner, ME
Jan 29, 2007 9:13 AM
Bravo Republicans...its about time we threw these scumbags out of the voting process!

If they are not a resident, they shouldn't be voting! Going to school in a state does not make you a resident.report abuse
Jim of Gray, ME
Jan 29, 2007 9:40 AM
This is simple...if you want to vote in Maine, you should take up a legal residence in Maine. You are not allowed to vote in two places in the same election cycle. These are the same people that think illegal aliens should be able to vote. report abuse
Kk of ME
Jan 29, 2007 9:48 AM
Ok so what about students who are from Maine, but go to school out of state? How would this affect them? I grew up in Maine and went to school in NY state. I stayed up to date on local town politics and state level politics and used absentee ballots to vote in elections. I never voted in NY state elections and I paid taxes to both NY and ME....so how would this affect students like me?

And to Brian how does going to school in a state not make you a resident? I lived in NY for 3/4 of the year at school, had an apartment there and paid taxes there, as many of the students here in Maine do. I had every right to vote in NY had I chosen to. I CHOSE to vote in ME not NY because I cared more about the politics going on here, and because I was still being supported by my parents, so I kept their address as my "Permanent Address". Most of the people who will bother to vote, are educated about the process and the candidates or issues at hand...so when did politicians gain the right to silence these votes? If they are voting in two places, I agree, its wrong...but give me statistics...prove that this is really an issue, and that the Republicans aren't just trying to sabotage another election....report abuse
Stephen Farrand of Freeport, ME
Jan 29, 2007 10:09 AM
Maine already has, on average, the oldest and whitest population in the country. We need to make college students from out of state feel welcome in Maine so they'll STAY. One way to do that is to make them feel part of the community.

And encouraging them to vote here is one of the best ways to do that.report abuse

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