By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Capitol Times
Calling the practice unethical, a Flagstaff Republican lawmaker wants to bar college students from voting where they may live most of the year.
The proposal by Rep. Bob Thorpe would put a provision that students who want to vote would be able to do so only by signing up to get an early ballot from the voting precinct where they were living before they went to college, presumably the address of their parents.
More to the point, they would not be able to use their college address. And that would apply not only to those who live in a campus dormitory but even those who have off-campus apartments or houses.
Thorpe, whose district includes Northern Arizona University, said the students who vote in elections — including his own — are really just part-time residents. More to the point, he contends allowing them to participate in local elections means they “unfairly influence local elections.”
