College Times

Issue date: 10/23/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Ralph Lauer- Fort Worth Star-Telegram

In every election, it is said that youth vote is supposed to be a major deciding factor in choosing the next president.

But for some college students, it's not lack of interest or desire that's the deciding factor in whether or not they vote - it's getting to vote at all.

Out-of-state students face a dilemma when it comes to voting in Arizona. Voting laws can be a confusing boundary that many choose not to deal with.

For instance, Arizona's Proposition 200, passed in 2006, was intended to keep illegal immigrants that are ineligible to vote away from the polls on Election Day. The proposition amended state laws to require voters to show proof of citizenship with a valid ID when they register to vote.

But the proposition also created some barriers for out-of-state students.

However, students should not see this as a hurdle, even though the deadline to register in Arizona has already passed. These students have another option - request an absentee ballot from home.

Most states don't require an excuse to vote absentee, and out-of-state students can simply list their parents address as their primary residence while having the ballot sent to their school address, says Alex Nelson, a representative for Arizona Public Interest Research Group. If students are already registered in their home state, they shouldn't have a problem voting absentee, he said.

Students who plan to vote in Arizona who have a valid Arizona driver's license and have shown proof of residency upon registration, such as electric or cable bills, should not have any problems at the polls either, Nelson says.

Some students like Sarah Rockoff, an Arizona State University communications sophomore, feel that bothering to establish residency is an unnecessary dilemma to deal with. Rockoff decided to vote using an absentee ballot from her home state of New Jersey.

"It's just easier," she says. "They send it to you and I can send it right back."

Some out-of-state students may choose to vote in their home state because, depending on which candidate they vote for, it might have a larger impact on the overall election.

Countmore.org is a website students can use to see where their vote will really count. If their home state is largely considered a battleground state, some students may choose to vote there instead.

Arizona's out-of-state students should know their rights when they head to the polls November 4, Nelson says. Should they face problems at the polls, their best option is to fill out a provisional ballot, which is used to record a vote when the voter's eligibility is questioned.

"By law the state has to let you know whether or not your ballot was counted if you fill out a provisional ballot," Nelson says. "The fact that some people don't know what a provisional ballot is, is a problem."

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