By Johathan Finer
Published October 26th 2004 in Washington Post
CONCORD, N.H., Oct. 26 -- Ryan Smith, a senior at Keene
State College, thought it would be more satisfying to vote in an
electoral battleground than in Massachusetts, the home state he shares
with Democratic nominee John F. Kerry.
But at a voter
registration event on campus last week, the 22-year-old was turned away
by a town official who told him that the college identification and
piece of mail he brought to prove he lives locally was insufficient.
"All
I wanted to do was vote," said Smith, an undecided voter, who said that
Democratic Party volunteers standing nearby eventually persuaded the
official to process his forms. "It left me wondering whether all the
hassle was worth it."
Reports of college students being
discouraged from registering by local officials in a host of college
towns are growing more common in the Granite State, where Kerry and
President Bush are locked in a tight race. The issue of student
eligibility has also been a source of contention in other states,
including Virginia, Texas and Maine.
Democrats allege a
systematic program of "scare tactics" designed to suppress turnout
among one of their key constituencies. Republicans say they will be
monitoring out-of-staters at the polls on Nov. 2 to ensure that state
election laws designed to prevent voter fraud are enforced.
Unlike
most states, New Hampshire, which Bush won by 7,211 votes in 2000,
allows voters to register on Election Day. Assistant Attorney General
Orville "Bud" Fitch II and Secretary of State William M. Gardner held a
news conference here on Tuesday to explain the rules pertaining to
college students from outside the state.
The session was
requested by Carl Pope, executive director of the environmental group
Sierra Club, who said that, while visiting the University of New
Hampshire at Durham on Monday students told him of problems they
encountered while trying to register.
"To vote is the crown jewel of democracy, and we don't want anyone taking advantage of it on either side," Gardner said.
The
Republican-dominated legislature passed a law last year that requires
people whose identification indicates they are from out of
state to sign an affidavit that shifts their "domicile" to New
Hampshire before they can register to vote.
Election officials
say the new law is intended to clarify voter eligibility and to bar
people from voting in multiple states. But Republican legislative
leaders have said that they also hope it will prevent out-of-towners
from exercising too much influence over state politics.
An
informational posting on a state election Web site advises college
students that changing their domicile requires them to re-register
their cars within 60 days and to apply for a new driver's license. It
also warns that, in some instances, health and auto insurance coverage,
tax status and scholarships could be affected.
Democrats have
called the new law the "Voter Intimidation Act" and have been reminding
students that they can easily change their domicile back after the
election. "The consequences they describe, such as for financial aid
and so forth, apply only to a small fraction of students," said Judy
Reardon, a senior adviser with the Kerry campaign here.
Jayne
Millerick, chairwoman of the Republican State Committee, said: "We want
everyone to vote who can legally do so, but [the Democrats] are
doing students a disservice by not informing them of their obligations."