According to FVRA, Howard had rejected voter registration applications from RU students who listed their residence hall as their domicile and were not giving students the same presumption of residency as other citizens.

Today, Tracy Howard has joined FVRA’s cause to uphold student voter registration rights. FVRA and Howard are planning to hold a demonstration against the Virginia General Assembly, urging legislators to clearly define student voter registration laws, specifically if students may be allowed to list their residence hall as their domicile.

“I absolutely want the Virginia General Assembly to define this law,” he said. “We really are trying to register as many students as possible, but I have to uphold our current policies and verify student addresses. Admittedly, Virginia law regarding student voter registration addresses is very archaic and vague, so I want to work with these students to introduce legislation to the General Assembly and ask them to clearly define student residency.”

According to Clarissa Clarke, a member and co-founder of FVRA, a demonstration against Virginia legislators will be held in November. Howard explained that, because there are only seven more days left to register to vote in Virginia for the 2008 elections, he cannot change his procedures at this time. However, he is more than willing to bring those policy issues forward before the next general election. And according to Clarke,

Howard is even willing to encourage other county registrars to become involved with the demonstration.
A 1979 Supreme Court case, Symm v. U.S., states that students have the right to vote at their college address and rules unconstitutional the distribution of verification questionnaires to on-campus students who try to register. Clarke still plans to address the legality of address verification cards Howard has distributed to on-campus students only, claiming that the card is a questionnaire and is therefore unconstitutional. According to Clarke, the ACLU plans to contact Howard urging him to cease what they claim is a discriminatory process.

“I am pursuing that matter on the side,” said Clarke. “But Mr. Howard and FVRA have come to an agreement that, in order to register as many students as possible in Virginia, the Virginia law regarding student residency needs to be clarified. And we are willing to work together to make sure that happens.”

Trae Cotton, RU’s dean of students, has voiced the university’s support of students’ rights to vote using their college address. “With all of the challenges facing the United States today—from climate change to international conflicts to the state of the economy—we should support any effort by our country’s newest voters to become involved in the democratic process,” he said. “Indeed, they are the ones on whom we place our greatest hopes.”

To learn more about the RU FVRA and the November demonstration, visit the alliance blog at http://www.fvralliance.blogspot.com/ or contact Clarissa Clarke at (213) 447-2474 or clarissaclarke@gmail.com.

For more information about voter registration in Virginia, visit the Virginia State Board of Elections at http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/.

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