Student voting

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
I usually try to not get into the controversial issues and I hope that this doesn't turn into one and if it does, I'll just back out and let the mods move this to Muzzleblast and ya'll can have at it. My question involves college student voting. I know a number of you have children who are in college so I would appreciate your input. Are out of state students, as a full time student, allowed to vote in the NC election for local and state offices? My thought is yes but my question is why? My assumption is that the majority of out of state student will not reside here after they complete or leave school yet they can have a long lasting impact on state and local government offices by their vote. Is that not what the absentee ballot is for, to enable them to vote in their home area/district, even for in state students who are not in their home area? I may be looking at this all wrong but was just wondering.
 

ECU_Pirate

Banned
I usually try to not get into the controversial issues and I hope that this doesn't turn into one and if it does, I'll just back out and let the mods move this to Muzzleblast and ya'll can have at it. My question involves college student voting. I know a number of you have children who are in college so I would appreciate your input. Are out of state students, as a full time student, allowed to vote in the NC election for local and state offices? My thought is yes but my question is why? My assumption is that the majority of out of state student will not reside here after they complete or leave school yet they can have a long lasting impact on state and local government offices by their vote. Is that not what the absentee ballot is for, to enable them to vote in their home area/district, even for in state students who are not in their home area? I may be looking at this all wrong but was just wondering.

I think there is a certain amount of time you have to be a full time resident in the state in order.to vote. Many out of state students meet that requirement. Some essentially live in NC for 4 years. In order to stop it you would have to put a crazy time restriction on new residents before they could vote. Then in that case are they still allowed to vote in their old state if they don't live there anymore? Would they just be in a no voting limbo?

Basically it's an issue with no good solution.
 

Part-time hunter

Ten Pointer
Actually as long as instate or out of state students have a permanent or temporary address they can vote either where they are or back in their home location. Voting in your home location requires an absentee ballot. You made the assumption that the majority of out of state students will nor reside here after they leave school. I am curious if there is data about this one way or the other. Obviously they can't all stay in their respective college towns, especially the big schools or else these towns would be bursting at the seams. But if these students were from small or rural areas they probably would have to relocate to get a job commensurate with their education. It's an interesting question to me.
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
I thought I had put it in the original post, but I believe you must be a resident for 6 months to be an established resident. Even if they were full time for 4 years and from out of state and could vote, still, why not request a absentee ballot and vote in your home state. I can see many of the in state students remaining in a more urban area but would question how many of the out of state students remain here.
 

jenkinsnb

Ten Pointer
I had this argument A LOT in Boone as my freshman year was also Obama’s second term election cycle(and also an election year for several local seats). We moved in a few weeks early for marching band and I will say that Boone is GORGEOUS on its own. However, after the population grows by about 18,000, I can’t say the same. They went home over the summer. Many of them graduated the previous year, several of them couldn’t make it another year for any number of reasons. Then they all show back up in August, leave for December, come back sometime in January, leave again in May, and then may or may not return again in August. It’s all too common that while they’re in school, they call the community “home.” But as soon as they get out of school, they leave for greener grass and the people that were actually born and raised there are left with whatever local seats the student body voted for. To me, it’s no real reflection of what the people in the community want. It’s what the students at the university think sounds like a good idea at the time. And then when school is out, the community is left dealing with the consequences, whether good or bad. But apparently I had a very unpopular opinion on campus as everyone was protesting they’re right to vote in Boone as a student.
 

Part-time hunter

Ten Pointer
I had this argument A LOT in Boone as my freshman year was also Obama’s second term election cycle(and also an election year for several local seats). We moved in a few weeks early for marching band and I will say that Boone is GORGEOUS on its own. However, after the population grows by about 18,000, I can’t say the same. They went home over the summer. Many of them graduated the previous year, several of them couldn’t make it another year for any number of reasons. Then they all show back up in August, leave for December, come back sometime in January, leave again in May, and then may or may not return again in August. It’s all too common that while they’re in school, they call the community “home.” But as soon as they get out of school, they leave for greener grass and the people that were actually born and raised there are left with whatever local seats the student body voted for. To me, it’s no real reflection of what the people in the community want. It’s what the students at the university think sounds like a good idea at the time. And then when school is out, the community is left dealing with the consequences, whether good or bad. But apparently I had a very unpopular opinion on campus as everyone was protesting they’re right to vote in Boone as a student.
I can see where it could have a significant impact on a smaller town for sure. For larger cities or metro areas the students would likely not be enough to make much difference. And my experience has been that not a lot of students actually take the time to research the candidates and most don't vote. I have seen and heard of some conservative politicians who would like to change the rules that allow students to vote where they are in school because the general consensus is that most college students are left leaning politically. I think LTs original question referred to local elections or out of staters affecting our state politics. I see the point as being a valid one and it seems fair to me that one should vote where they lived before attending college because it is actually easier to vote with an absentee ballot than to go stand in line at a polling station.
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
They vote in NC because Democrats tell them to.

NC was considered a "swing" state during the Obama years so out of state students (in Boone and elsewhere) were told to vote in NC so it could go to Obama and the Dems (State and Congress races)

How many oos students voted for Good Ol Boy Roy?

It was also an issue in Buncombe County where the GOP was trying to redraw districts to lump all the colleges/universities together because out of county students were voting in local races they knew nothing about.
 

Part-time hunter

Ten Pointer
They vote in NC because Democrats tell them to.

NC was considered a "swing" state during the Obama years so out of state students (in Boone and elsewhere) were told to vote in NC so it could go to Obama and the Dems (State and Congress races)

How many oos students voted for Good Ol Boy Roy?

It was also an issue in Buncombe County where the GOP was trying to redraw districts to lump all the colleges/universities together because out of county students were voting in local races they knew nothing about.
I think that voting districts should be done by a panel of blind people. That's the only way they'd ever be close to fair. As for how many students voted for Cooper I guess it was enough to get him elected, although I don't know that for sure. It was a surprise to me that he did win since NC is really quite a red state these days. And I have conceded that most college students and probably faculty lean to the left politically. Since the 60s college campuses have always been hot beds of protests and such.
 

ECU_Pirate

Banned
They vote in NC because Democrats tell them to.

NC was considered a "swing" state during the Obama years so out of state students (in Boone and elsewhere) were told to vote in NC so it could go to Obama and the Dems (State and Congress races)

How many oos students voted for Good Ol Boy Roy?

It was also an issue in Buncombe County where the GOP was trying to redraw districts to lump all the colleges/universities together because out of county students were voting in local races they knew nothing about.

I don't really think anyone was telling them to vote for anyone in particular. I was in college during Obama's second election. Don't remember anyone telling people to vote besides your typical posters and stuff around campus. That was all student run though. Typical college stuff that happens every where and always has. College kids being outspoken on political issues is nothing new.

If your going to prevent students from voting wouldn't you have to do the same for military? Many of them qualify to vote in states they aren't from and will leave soon. Same scenario.
 

CRC

Old Mossy Horns
Students aren't prevented from voting in NC.

And they aren't going to be anytime soon.

If an ooss who just came to NC from New Jersey for school wants to vote in Watauga County elections, they can.
 

ECU_Pirate

Banned
And I think they should be able to. I'm just trying to explain why it is that way. Preventing them from voting would open up a can of worms.
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
It makes a huge difference on the political landscape. Orange County is controlled by the UNC students vote. Has been ever since they have been allowed to vote here. Most leave after schooling and the true permanent residents are stuck with the debris the dump on us .
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
That's pretty much exactly what I was talking about to begin with.
I'm not sure where the idea of stopping them from voting here came from. I certainly never suggested that. The option is always there for an absentee ballot for anyone who is not in their home voting district on election day.
 

Mechanic Bob

Eight Pointer
Then at 16, will they then make sure they are in the draft. allowed to drink alcohol, be able to buy any firearm, buy any knife, and then be SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for all their debt and actions? NFW!
 

alt1001

Old Mossy Horns
I think there is a certain amount of time you have to be a full time resident in the state in order.to vote. Many out of state students meet that requirement.
According to state law you can register to vote the day you move here so long as you have established residency (i.e. address).
 

alt1001

Old Mossy Horns
I usually try to not get into the controversial issues and I hope that this doesn't turn into one and if it does, I'll just back out and let the mods move this to Muzzleblast and ya'll can have at it. My question involves college student voting. I know a number of you have children who are in college so I would appreciate your input. Are out of state students, as a full time student, allowed to vote in the NC election for local and state offices? My thought is yes but my question is why? My assumption is that the majority of out of state student will not reside here after they complete or leave school yet they can have a long lasting impact on state and local government offices by their vote. Is that not what the absentee ballot is for, to enable them to vote in their home area/district, even for in state students who are not in their home area? I may be looking at this all wrong but was just wondering.

It's really no different than military. They have established a residency here so they can either choose to keep their parents address as their residency (I see that a lot when it comes time for absentee) or they use their college address.
 

QuietButDeadly

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
And I would be willing to wager that 50% or more of the registered UNC students do not change their address to NC while they are in school here.
 

Greg

Old Mossy Horns
It makes a huge difference on the political landscape. Orange County is controlled by the UNC students vote. Has been ever since they have been allowed to vote here. Most leave after schooling and the true permanent residents are stuck with the debris the(y) dump on us .
QBD beat me to it. This is a PLAGUE on the folks here in Orange County. Without the students, we'd probably still be liberal, but they make it a 70+ % guaranteed win for any liberal on the ballot. Orange voted for friggin' Bernie Sanders in the 2016 primaries, for Pete's Sake!


… Then went on to vote for Hillary Clinton 74 / 23 % in the presidential race. Good grief.

 
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