University of Virginia Library

Deadline Saturday

Voter Drive Gains Momentum

On Tuesday, November 3, the people
of Virginia will elect a U.S. Senator and
ten members of the House of
Representatives. They will also vote in a
referendum on a series of proposed
amendments to the state constitution.

With the elections barely five weeks
away, and the deadline for registering to
vote on October 3, the Student Council
and several organizations on the Grounds
are carrying out an eleventh-hour
registration drive.

With the help and sponsorship of
Student Council, the Now Democratic
Coalition is working this week to register
all eligible voters. The drive, a non-partisan
effort, has received the support of the
Charlottesville League of Women Voters and
welcomes help from people of all political
persuasions.

Campaign Focus

The particular focuses of the campaign are
the University community and the
Charlottesville black community. Students,
faculty, and University-affiliated personnel have
consistently shown the worst voting records in
the city and county.

Thus registration workers are now spreading
out around these areas, trying to inform all
eligible voters of the urgency to register to vote
and of the requirements for registration.

In Virginia, a person may vote if he or she is
a citizen of the United States and aged 21 by
election. The law has been that he or she must
have lived in Virginia one year by Election Day,
in Albemarle County or Charlottesville six
months, and in the precinct 30 days. Presently
the state is appealing a decision by Federal
District Judge Robert Merhige, made last
Friday, that Virginia's residency requirements
must allow six-months residents to vote.

To vote the resident must be registered.
Registration must be completed 30 days before
Election Day, or by 5 p.m. Saturday, October
3.

Permanent Registration

Registration in Virginia is permanent. Any
move within the city or county must be
reported to the Registrar, and any move
within the state must be proved by a
Certification of Transfer from the voter's
former Registrar and given to the Registrar in
the voter's new locality before the registration
deadline. This does not require re-registering.

The leaders of the registration drive
emphasize that it is only required that the voter
be 21 years old by Election Day, not by
registration.

Due to the Voting Rights Act passed this
summer, 18-year-olds will also be eligible to
vote after January 1, 1971. Although those
between the ages of 18 and 21 may not vote in
November, they can register to vote now.

A major source of confusion to students is
met in trying to acquire absentee ballots. An
absentee ballot must be used if a person wants
to vote and he will be outside his home district
on Election Day.

In order to get an absentee ballot, a person
must first be registered to vote. Then he should
obtain an application for an absentee ballot
from any registrar, fill it out, and return it to
his own registrar no less than five days before
the election.

An absentee ballot will then be sent to the
voter, who must open, mark, and seal his ballot
in the presence of a Notary Public and then
return it before the polls close on Election Day.

Besides these numerous complications of the
registration and voting procedures, the city of
Charlottesville and especially Albemarle County
have made them even more difficult for
University students.

For instance, in Albemarle County, a
student must sign an affidavit affirming that
not only does he meet the normal residence
requirements but he also plans to remain in the
county at least a year after the completion of
his studies.

Prohibitive Rulings

This requirement, above and beyond normal
requirements, has in the past prevented many
otherwise-qualified students from registering. It
is presently being challenged in court by two
University students but a ruling will not be
forthcoming before October 3.

However, registration workers have stated
that this requirement need not be an obstacle
to registration. They fell that any student with
a minimum of imagination can in good
conscience sign the affidavit.

In the city, requirements are not quite so
rough, but students desiring to register should
make sure they have all possible proof available
to show that they meet the requirements.

To register, a city voter must apply at the
office of the Assistant Registrar at City Hall,
Room 104. He can be reached at 293-5988, and
his hours are 8 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. On Saturday, October
3, his office will also be open these hours.

Alternate Location

An alternate place to register is with the
General Register, Stuart Rothwell, at the First
Federal Savings and Loan Building, Fifth and
Market Streets. He will be available from 9 a.m.
to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from
9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. Friday. On
October 3 he will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 1
p.m. Appointments are also available.

For county residents, the place to register is
at the County Courthouse on Jefferson Street.

Registration workers will be available
around the Grounds this week to provide
information and rides to registration locations.
For more information, call 295-6404.