• Our software update is now concluded. You will need to reset your password to log in. In order to do this, you will have to click "Log in" in the top right corner and then "Forgot your password?".
  • Forum moderator applications are now open! Click here for details.
  • Welcome to PokéCommunity! Register now and join one of the best fan communities on the 'net to talk Pokémon and more! We are not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.

North Carolina Bill seeks to curb college vote

Mr. X

It's... kinda effective?
2,391
Posts
17
Years
Raleigh, N.C. — A bill filed in the state Senate Tuesday would carry a tax penalty for parents whose children register to vote at their college address.

Senate Bill 667, known as "Equalize Voter Rights," would remove the tax exemption for dependents who register to vote at any address other than their parents' home.

"If the voter is a dependent of the voter's parent or legal guardian, is 18 years of age or older and the voter has registered at an address other than that of the parent or legal guardian, the parent or legal guardian will not be allowed to claim the voter as a dependent for state income tax purposes," the bill says.

The measure would affect only state income tax, so it wouldn't have much effect on out-of-state students. But it could effectively cut student voting in counties like Watauga and Orange, where college voters have been a key part of the Democratic Party's dominance.

The bill would also require voters to have their vehicles registered at the same address as their voter registration. That also could cut down on college student registration, since many students maintain their vehicle registration in their home counties.

Sponsor Bill Cook, R-Beaufort, didn't immediately respond to inquiries about the intent of the legislation.

House Minority Leader Larry Hall said the bill "would raise taxes on middle-class families who are trying to put their children through college."

"I refuse to believe the Republican leadership has become so desperate to limit voting for partisan gain that they would be willing to support tax increases to achieve that goal," said Hall, D-Durham. "It is the definition of arrogance to penalize parents with new taxes just because their children want to exercise their right to vote in the community they live in."

Four other Republican senators have signed on as co-sponsors, including a member of the Senate leadership – budget chairman Sen. Neal Hunt, R-Wake.

The same provisions on student voting have also been rolled into a larger omnibus bill, Senate Bill 666, which would also shorten early voting days, ban early voting on evenings and weekends and prohibit same-day registration.

That bill is also sponsored by Cook and is similar to House Bill 451, which was filed last week by House Majority Leader Edgar Starnes.

http://www.wral.com/senate-bill-seeks-to-curb-college-vote/12298695/

Republicans coming out swinging against voters - No surprise. Republicans trying to raise taxes? Big surprise... oh, wait. On the middle class. Yeah... No surprise there, either.

Not that suprised. Your seeing it a lot, in many diffrient states, now. The Republicans know that they are at a disadvantage, so they are trying everything they can to rig the game in their favor instead of... you know... actually trying to improve their image with voters.
 

twocows

The not-so-black cat of ill omen
4,307
Posts
15
Years
Why was this even a tax exemption in the first place? The things that go on in the US are so strange
Maybe because university costs in the US are in the tens of thousands of dollars and students usually have trouble even making ends meet? Most college students, if they work, will take a minimum wage job for less than 40 hours a week. This puts their income below the poverty line, and college expenses are some of the highest expenses most US citizens experience in their lives. A tax break for students is hardly unreasonable.
 
5,983
Posts
15
Years
Ahh very smart move North Carolina Republicans. Voter suppression by tax disincentives XD haven't heard of that one yet, but I guess there's always a first for everything.
 

TRIFORCE89

Guide of Darkness
8,123
Posts
19
Years
Maybe because university costs in the US are in the tens of thousands of dollars and students usually have trouble even making ends meet? Most college students, if they work, will take a minimum wage job for less than 40 hours a week. This puts their income below the poverty line, and college expenses are some of the highest expenses most US citizens experience in their lives. A tax break for students is hardly unreasonable.
Eh... I didn't convey that clearly. No problem with parents claiming them as dependants or trying to give them a break.

I meant why would that be tied to voter registration? As proposed here. That's what seems weird to me. No rhyme or reason to it.

There was really no point to me saying "in the first place" XD Because voter registration at a different location was not itself tax exempt, it just rather didn't actually come into play. And it shouldn't.
 

Ivysaur

Grass dinosaur extraordinaire
21,082
Posts
17
Years
Eh... I didn't convey that clearly. No problem with parents claiming them as dependants or trying to give them a break.

I meant why would that be tied to voter registration? As proposed here. That's what seems weird to me. No rhyme or reason to it.

There was really no point to me saying "in the first place" XD Because voter registration at a different location was not itself tax exempt, it just rather didn't actually come into play. And it shouldn't.

Reason: in 2008, Obama carried NC by a 14k vote margin- mostly thanks to college votes, and that included a State takeover, with dem Governor and all. So, after the reps got it back in 2012, they understood that the best way to stop that from ever happening was trying to make it harder for college students to vote. And since a SC ruling protects their right to register to vote where they study, so it can't be downright banned, they had to find another way to make them think twice- and extorting their families with targeted tax penalties sounds just fine for them.
 
Back
Top