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A bill that would prohibit students from voting in Orono is being presented to the Maine State House of Representatives this month. The proposed bill would require UMaine students to vote in the town of their permanent residence and not allow them to vote in Orono anymore. For many students, Orono is not their permanent residence. This bill will seriously take away the voting rights of UMaine students. While students may still use their parents’ address as their permanent one, this is where they live nine months out of the year. Decisions made by voters in Orono affect students’ lives. People who spend most of the year here are more knowledgeable about the issues here than their hometowns that they may not visit regularly. Passing this bill is essentially taking away voting rights from UMaine students.
Students should retain their voting rights in Orono. If this bill passes, many students will not vote in upcoming elections. Absentee ballots from home aren’t easy to get a hold of. Voting of college-aged people is regularly low. This will only discourage voting from an age group that needs higher turnout-not lower. The bill is still in the initial stages, but we urge the state’s House of Representatives to not pass this bill. Students will suffer from not being heard where they live most of the year.
Bangor Daily News