Senate Bill 466, introduced by Pete Miller, R-24th District, states that a person who was in a precinct for a temporary purpose will no longer be able to gain ?residency in that precinct.
Some interpreted the provision of Miller’s bill as an attempt to disenfranchise college students, but Miller said he now plans on changing the bill in order to clarify what he originally meant.
“The fact that there was even concern that we were attempting to somehow inhibit the student vote was a shock to me because that’s not what it was intended to do,” Miller said. “Once I understood what the concern was, by all means we indicted we would address it.”
Miller said his intent was to stop people who worked or went to school in a precinct but did not live there from voting in that particular precinct. He said he never intended his bill to change state law, even though he sees how some interpret it that way.
On Feb. 2, IU sophomore Morgan Mohr testified against the bill in front of the Indiana Senate Elections Committee, on which Miller serves. Mohr’s testimony brought light to the issue for many people — including Miller.
Now, Miller said he plans on changing his bill to clarify what he originally meant. He will reintroduce it next ?Monday.
“It’s a return of a similar bill that came forward last year that tries to disenfranchise students from their right, and it’s an egregious attempt to take away a fundamental right,” said Councilman Darryl Neher, who chose to speak up against SB 466 at last Wednesday’s Bloomington City Council meeting.
Neher referenced House Bill 1311, a 2013 bill by Indiana State Rep. Peggy Mayfield, R-60th District, which proposed that students from other states not be allowed to register to vote in Indiana.
Miller said his bill is not similar to Mayfield’s and would not support any move to not allow out-of-state ?students to vote.
“As long as they’re not registered to vote in another state and here — if they move to IU or Purdue or wherever, by all means,” Miller said. “We would welcome to have their vote in our state.”
Under Indiana law, residents only have to live in their precinct for at least 30 days prior to Election Day, meaning students and other temporary residents can register to vote outside of their hometown districts.
In the 1979 case of Symm v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled it was unconstitutional for the state of Texas to deny students at Prairie View A&M University the right to register to vote in their school precinct.
SB 466 is still early in the legislative process since being proposed Jan. 15. In addition, the bill is broad and covers an array of election procedures.
Miller said he will ?re-introduce his bill Feb. 16.
