[Updated with a response to commenters.]
A bill that would require college students to vote in their home towns, rather than in their college towns, has been generating a lot of controversy lately. A public hearing will be held tomorrow at the statehouse.
The debate surrounding the bill has been predictable: bill supporters – all of them Republicans, as far as I know – have argued that students are depriving college towns of their political self-determination. (Laughably false, given students’ low turnout.) Hyper-partisan Democrats have responded by loudly proclaiming that Republicans are trying to deprive students of their right to vote. (Just plain not true.)
It seems that the only people talking sense are the students themselves.
They’ve provided a variety of compelling, logical arguments for keeping the current system:
1) Students are at college more often than they’re at home, making their college town more home than their “home” town.
2) Those who are politically involved are involved mostly in their college town.
3) Many intend to remain in the area of their college after graduation, making them long-term residents with a stake in local politics.
(Although a minority disagree.)
These arguments have persuaded me to oppose the bill. They also suggest a fourth argument: college students are infinitely reasonable compared to the childish partisan hacks who are really corrupting our democracy, and we need them to balance out the wild irrationality. (A smarter bill would force partisan hacks to vote elsewhere.)
Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it to the public hearing, because – fittingly – I don’t want to miss my college class tomorrow. Some of my more dedicated peers will attend in spite of this. (Disclaimer: the bill won’t actually affect me.)
I expect our Keene representatives, both as Democrats and as representatives of thousands of college students, to vote against this bill when it reaches the floor of the House. It would be nice if some of New Hampshire’s more independent-minded Republicans would oppose it, too, if only as a show of good faith.
Related news: there will be a discussion of this bill (HB176) in the Flag Room of the Student Center at Keene State College, 2 o’clock on Friday, organized by the KSC Political Science club. Bill supporters and detractors will both be in attendance.
Response to criticism: According to NH Secretary of State William Gardner, New Hampshire does not suffer from significant voter fraud. (See this in-depth article.)
