Bill would prohibit multiple addresses

University students who are registered to vote in Ann Arbor but have a residence elsewhere in Michigan will soon have to choose exactly where home is if a bill passed by the state Senate is signed into law.

The Senate on Tuesday voted 23 to 12 in favor of a bill sponsored by Sen. Mike Rogers (R-Howell) that would require Michigan residents to have the same residence listed on their driver's license and voter registration card.

If Senate Bill 306 is passed by the House of Representatives and signed by Gov. John Engler, students with two different addresses listed would have to choose one or the other. When renewing a driver's license, the Secretary of State's office would automatically change a person's voter registration card to the same address.

The main goal of the proposal is to smoothly combine separate voting and motor vehicle registrations into one Qualified Voter File, Rogers said.

"To have these two separate files is wasteful," Rogers said. "This is about making the system more efficient."

Rogers said condensing the system will aid in the tracking of voters.

"This would make it much more difficult to commit voter fraud," he added. "We're making it much easier for you as college students to comply with the law."

But Sen. Dianne Byrum (D-Onondaga) said the proposal could negatively affect voting habits of college students - including her constituents at Michigan State University. She proposed an amendment to the bill that would have exempted students, but Senate Republicans voted it down.

"Let's not set up a situation where people are confused and discourage them from voting," Byrum said. "I think it will discourage voting in general."

Because college students typically move frequently, Byrum said, they would have to keep up with their changes of residence to avoid unknowingly breaking the law. Under the proposal, listing two different addresses would be a misdemeanor offense.

"I think it is overly burdensome," she said. "People may find themselves guilty of a crime without realizing it."

Rogers' bill would also simplify the process of changing addresses when moving. Instead of going to a Secretary of State office in person, Michigan residents would be able to use mail, e-mail, telephone or fax.

"We need to make it as easy as possible to change your address," Rogers said.

Sen. Dale Shugars (R-Portage) said students who wish to keep their permanent address could easily vote in their home cities with absentee ballots.

"I don't think it would deter college students from voting any more than they are already deterred," said Shugars, whose district includes Western Michigan University. "It really makes it more efficient," he added.

Elizabeth Boyd, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Candace Miller, said the proposal would make her office more efficient.

"We don't care where it is," Boyd said. "If that is your choice, we'll make it convenient for you. We want to make it easy on people."

Boyd said the proposal would not change how out-of-state students can vote in Michigan, as long as they have only one address registered in the state.

Rogers said University students shouldn't be able to vote in Ann Arbor if they don't declare it as their official residence.

"You need to vote where you live," Rogers said, calling the opposition that has materialized regarding this bill "a puff of smoke."

After passage by the Senate, the bill was referred to the House Transportation Committee and if enacted will go into effect Oct. 1, 1999.

03-25-99