To the Editors:

I am concerned about the disregard of the voting rights of Oberlin College students in the letter “ID Law Disenfranchises Oberlin Resident Voters” (March 7). I firmly believe that all OC students, who are U.S. citizens and over 18, have a fundamental right to vote in Oberlin, and I encourage everyone to do so.

It is true that most OC students are not “year-round residents.” However, OC students live in Oberlin for at least eight months a year, if not more. For the remaining four months, some of us live in Oberlin, or a parents’ home, or a different place (including overseas) for internships, summer jobs or some other reasons. It is illogical to argue that OC students should not vote in a place where we live for the majority of time, and instead vote in a place one lives for only four months or less, maybe only a few days a year. There is no evidence that “the majority of students do not consider Oberlin their permanent home.” Instead, there is plenty of evidence, such as community services and volunteer work many OC students are involved in, to indicate that many OC students are deeply committed to helping the Oberlin communities and becoming a part of it.

She argues as if the OC students were not legitimate voters, that “the student vote…has effectively nullified the votes of permanent city residents.” In a liberal democracy, the noble principle upon which the United States of America was founded, everyone’s votes, no matter who they are, count equally. To suggest otherwise is an egregious and unethical violation of the principle of equality of all citizens before law. There is nothing whatsoever that is unethical and manipulative about empowering people to vote. What is unethical is to deny the equality of citizens and pretend that some voices matter less than others, just because they are college students.

She mentions that most OC students don’t pay taxes here or own properties in Oberlin. I think we have left behind the undemocratic 19th century idea of property and tax qualifications for voting, which disenfranchised so many citizens who didn’t own properties. The issue of the College’s non-taxable property is an important issue that deserves attention, but it is a separate issue from OC students’ voting rights, since there is no logical connection. A disdain for the local communities among some OC students needs to be properly addressed, but it is hardly a good ground to disenfranchise OC students.

I agree that OC students should not vote in local elections irresponsibly, without sufficient knowledge to cast a well-informed vote. We should be educated more about local issues, and even though the Candidates’ Night is a great opportunity for us to get to know local candidates well, it may not be enough. However, the matter of irresponsible voting applies to all voters, not only to OC students.

Ohio is the most important swing state in this year’s presidential election, whose historical stakes could not be higher. It is our great opportunity to be heard. I hope that most, if not all, OC students vote in Oberlin, the town that is “home” to us for at least two-thirds of the year.

I applaud and thank the Oberlin College administration for issuing the utility bills to the students to empower us to exercise our voting rights. I am proud to be a student at the College whose administration cares about the voting rights of students, which is a fundamental bedrock of democracy.

—Shannon Ikebe

College first-year