GOP suppresses college vote

In at least 4 American locales, Republican officials have been actively trying to suppress the college student vote.

Colleges and universities are supposed to be synonymous with the free flow of ideas - a counterweight against Big Business. This reinforces the politics of college towns.

By law, students who live on campus have the option of choosing what address to vote from. They may opt to vote from their off-campus home, or they may select their school address. Despite this, Republicans lie - by telling students they can't vote from their on-campus digs. This ruse is designed to discourage them from voting from all: Unless it's a commuter campus, relatively few are willing to travel all the way back home to cast their ballot.

In Colorado Springs - home of Colorado College - the county clerk informed students they couldn't register to vote if they were from out of state and if their parents claimed them as a dependent on their tax returns. This is a lie. By law, they can vote in Colorado.

The county clerk happens to have been a delegate to the Republican National Convention.

When he was called on his lie, he pretended it was just an honest mistake.

An almost identical attempt at voter intimidation was carried out in Virginia, where officials tried to discourage Virginia Tech students from voting.

An investigation by the Student Public Interest Research Group uncovered a nearly identical ordeal in 2 different counties in South Carolina - which serve as the homes of Furman University and Winthrop University.

The fact that almost the exact same bizarre thing happened in 4 different communities proves it's either an amazing coincidence or an organized effort to suppress student turnout.

The more you read about Republican efforts to suppress the vote, the less faith you have that your vote will even be counted - even if you actually make it to the polling booth.

(Source: http://www.truthout.org/092508J)