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Dear Attorney General Beau Biden,

Thank you for your consideration on the issue of student voting rights.  Currently Delaware has a number of barriers to student voting rights that The College Democrats at the University of Delaware feel are inappropriate.  We hope that you will consider working to remove these barriers.

Currently our voter registration efforts are focused on registering students in the state where their parents reside.  This is because it is currently very difficult for students with out-of-state residency to register in Delaware.   Please note that the University of Delaware’s policy is that registration to vote in Delaware is not a determinant as to the student being assessed in-state or out-of-state tuition and fees.

We believe it is appropriate to give students an opportunity to choose where to register.  Students are much more likely to vote when they can do so in person as opposed to voting absentee.  Students are active community members here and spend most of their time in Delaware.  We believe students should be able to choose which the community they feel is appropriate for them to call home and register.

This has been an issue that has been of concern for many years.  In 2004, former College Democrats President Dana Rohrbough worked with graduate student Scott Beale on this issue.  At the time, students who attempted to register received a letter in return stating that voters must register from their permanent address and that “we do not consider a school address to be a permanent address.”  Our work succeeded in a getting a change to this policy; students may now register from their dormitory address.

However, Rohrbough and Beale were not satisfied with this change and neither are we today.  The Attorney General’s office, under Jane Brady, issued an advisory letter in 2004 regarding student voting rights and detailed a list of documentation students must provide to prove Delaware is their home.  This list, which includes documents such as a bank statement with a Delaware address, a tuition bill with a Delaware address, a Delaware driver’s license, or a utility bill with a Delaware address, includes documents that not all students have and that are not readily accessible to students when we register them.  I believe this policy serves as a barrier to student registration.

We believe changes are needed to documentation requirements as well as to the State of Delaware Organized Voter Registration Procedures Manual.  Also, we would like public clarification on what effects, if any, out-of-state students registering to vote in Delaware will have with regard to their financial aid and insurance.

Thanks again for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Paul Ruiz
President, College Democrats at the University of Delaware

Senator Biden graduated from the University of Delaware (UD) in 1965. Less than a decade after graduating from UD he was elected the Junior Senator of the First State. In his six terms as U.S. Senator, Biden has been a consistent voice of reason and moderation in Washington. His expertise in foreign policy and the judiciary has earned him the respect and admiration of his Senate colleagues and brought prominence through his distinguished reputation to the state of Delaware.

As University of Delaware students we know the price of increasing college tuition costs and fees. We believe the national trend of increasing college tuition, and decreasing financial aid is indeed disturbing. Senator Biden believes that access to America’s public universities should not be the luxury of the wealthy. In the Senate, Biden has championed legislation that would increase Pell Grants for lower income students and reduce the burden of student debt upon graduation. His ACESS plan would create a $3000 refundable tax credit that would cover, on average, half the cost of tuition and fees at public four year universities.

Senator Biden has earned the trust of our members. Said College Democrats Vice President Tricia Connor: “He has represented our state for 35 years and is still known as “Joe” from Claymont to Seaford.”
To think that man who walked the Newark Campus four decades ago is the same man who chairs the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee today is remarkable. We feel honored to endorse Senator Biden, and pledge our full support to his continued quest for a better Delaware.

After Obama’s victory in Montana on June 4th, the 2118 delegates needed to secure the Democratic Nomination were reached and the Democratic Party can now fully focus on taking back the Oval Office in November. A recent USA Today-Gallup poll released on Wednesday showed that voters favor Senator Barack Obama (49%) over Senator John McCain (44%) if the election were today. As voters have gone out to the polls in record numbers, they have demonstrated the common concern that this Country is in dire need of change.

As the party focuses on bolstering unity around the now official nominee, Americans will be given the awesome choice of selecting our nation’s 44th president. The University of Delaware College Democrats are proud to be a part of this process and proud to endorse Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic Nominee for the President of the United States.

At the last meeting of the semester, the University of Delaware College Democrats voted on endorsements for Governor and Lt. Governor of Delaware. In order to receive an endorsement, a candidate has to receive a 2/3 majority of the votes. We are pleased to announce our endorsements of Jack Markell and Matt Denn.

Jack Markell, who is the current State Treasurer and a candidate for Governor, overwhelmingly received our endorsement. Students at UD and especially in the College Democrats can attest to Jack’s strong support among young people. He has impressed us with his continued involvement in the Newark and University of Delaware community along with his outstanding record as State Treasurer. His executive experience combined with his progressive ideals will lead Delaware on a road to prominence and success in the years to come.

With a large majority the College Democrats also endorsed Matt Denn, the current Insurance Commissioner and a candidate for Lieutenant Governor. As the Insurance Commissioner, Matt has had an impressive record representing consumer interests. Perhaps one of the biggest issues for the College Democrats is health care coverage. Last month Matt was a guest at a forum on health insurance at UD which was organized by the College Democrats, where he proved that he is a strong advocate of quality, affordable healthcare for all Delawareans. In 2006 he wrote a law that allows young people to remain on their family’s health insurance until age 24. This was something that really resonated with us, and we are thrilled to be working with such a great leader.

“We are very excited to unite our chapter with two great Democratic candidates who will take the state in a progressive direction”, said Tricia Connor, the Membership Coordinator and Vice President-elect of the College Democrats.

The College Democrats will be working hard to campaign for Markell and Denn throughout the summer and fall. We will be doing everything we can in order to reach out to students and get them mobilized around these two excellent Democrats. Though our age group is often largely overlooked by elected officials and candidates, Markell and Denn are actually making youth issues a priority.