Students at Lewiston and Auburn colleges are allowed to vote here regardless of their home towns. They establish “residency” at their school. But, as a resident, shouldn’t they register their cars here?
If they are real residents of Lewiston-Auburn, there is no concern. If they are, in fact, residents of another community I think they should vote by absentee ballot in that community. It is unfair to a community to have voting by inexperienced students, here temporarily, which could cause undesirable problems. Jacqueline Smith’s letter to the editor (Nov. 11) expressed that very well.
In an editor’s note added to Smith’s letter, the Sun Journal cited a Supreme Court ruling, Symm vs. United States 1979, stating that ruling “found that all students have the right to vote where they attend college.”
Chief Justice Burger and Justice William Rehnquist both dissented in that ruling. They cited a number of issues including those of court jurisdiction and the U.S. Constitution. The circumstances of the case suggested an underlying racial problem.
I don’t think the Symm vs. United States case directly addressed the question of eligibility of temporary student residents for voting. Perhaps other subsequent case decisions have directly addressed this issue, or are there grounds for appeal?
Thomas Shields, Auburn
Send questions/comments to the editors.
