To the Editors:

I believe Oberlin College has come down on the wrong side of the law by giving students, who are not permanent Oberlin, or Ohio, or possibly even US residents, an end run around voting laws by issuing bogus utility “bills.”  As a former lifelong Oberlin resident with continuing ties to the community, I understand that the benefits of getting your students to vote in the elections is more than just making it convenient for them to vote on federal issues. I have worked with college students for the past 16 years.  I am supportive of their enthusiasm to vote, but believe it should be from their permanent home, not their dorm room.

Oberlin is a unique town.  The College itself has a tremendous impact on the city due to its vast amounts of non-taxable property, which create an additional tax burden for residents in a city that historically has had the highest millage of any city in Lorain County and among the highest in the state.

OC students are a transient population. The majority of students do not consider Oberlin their permanent home, have no intent to remain here, nor are they year-round residents. If they relocated to Oberlin as permanent residents, why do they not have proof of residency other than a contrived utility bill for voter registration?  Why does their driver’s license, vehicle registration/insurance not reflect their claimed address for voting purposes? Why do they not file taxes in the City of Oberlin and pay regional, state and federal taxes using their OC address? Because they do not consider themselves permanent residents; neither should OC!  If students feel strongly about voting, they should be voting by absentee ballot through their permanent address. Members of the military do it all the time.  I’m sorry if it’s inconvenient for students passionate about voting, but laws exist for a reason.

Taking advantage of a dubious error in the law allows students to swell the voter population in Oberlin disproportionately and is unethical. Students are not just voting on federal issues. Students vote in our City Council members, our School Board members and historically have a strong influence on the outcome of city tax levies. As a former Oberlin resident with continuing ties to the community, I understand the vested interest OC has in getting students to vote in Oberlin that goes beyond just making it convenient for them to vote.  By voting on local politicians and taxes, the student vote often mirrors the desires of OC and thus benefits the college at the expense of city residents. The student vote in many elections over the years has effectively nullified the votes of permanent city residents.

The facts remain that students are voting on tax issues for taxes they don’t pay for, and because of the tax-free status of college property, taxes that do not impact their housing costs. After they leave in four years, students won’t be renting or buying Oberlin property and otherwise contributing toward paying for levies they helped to vote for. In assisting students to find loopholes, OC is allowing students to have an unethical and undue influence on local issues to the detriment of permanent city residents. Since college property is tax free, the burden for paying for additional taxes falls to permanent city residents and disenfranchises Oberlin voters whose voices cannot always be heard over the student vote. I find this a travesty and believe that it does nothing to improve already strained town/gown relations.

Please consider re-examining this issue from the perspective of how the student vote impacts permanent Oberlin residents. By issuing contrived utility records, OC is promoting unethical and manipulative practices. This sends the wrong message to college students who already appear to have a disdain for the local police, local laws and the local city residents.Oberlin College is pandering to a transient population and allowing them to vote irresponsibly as they do not have to live with the consequences of their votes on local issues.

Ft. Meade, MD

Oberlin Native