Recently, students at Virginia Tech were stunned to learn that Montgomery County (the county that houses Virginia Tech) has some very interesting ideas about exactly who is eligible to vote in the upcoming Presidential Elections.

It turns out the county is actively trying to discourage legal voters by trying to convince them that they can’t register to vote in the county where they live unless they want to start paying local taxes (car registrations, etc.,) and rob their parents of the right to declare them as dependents. They claim students can lose their scholarships, be required to register their cars in their college town, and more. All of their claims are, of course, wrong, but they might discourage someone from voting who otherwise would have. Younger people are leaning towards Obama in large numbers. Hmmm… I wonder why anyone would want to discourage younger people from voting in the general election this November? Gosh. The mind just boggles.

If you’re a college student in Virginia and you’re wondering if you’re allowed to vote even though your home address is in another state, please make sure you understand this: Yes, you can vote, right from your college address. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, and start yelling loudly (to all the local, regional, and national press you can find that will listen) if someone tries to actually stop you.

Don’t let these jerks get away with this. Learn the law, and make sure they know you know the law when it comes time to vote. And remember their names — these are the people to vote against when their names come up on the next ballot, because they’re trying to trick you out of your vote.

Technorati Tags: 2008 Presidential Election Politics