Every now and again, I wander over to one or the other of the local (college) student newspapers. These things are treasure troves of material, and it’s been a while since I did. With Thanksgiving on our doorstep, I went fishing for woke BS. I didn’t find any, which was disappointing. There were no Friendsgiving articles and nothing about decolonizing where you must apologize for relatives (possibly) conquering those who conquered those who came before them.
I did find an article about Dartmouth students who were concerned about the effect of storms back home. Helene and Milton. Nasty bits of cyclone season work that delivered a lot of damage and lost lives. But back home means you live somewhere else, so how many of those voted here in New Hampshire? Hanover is not exactly a hotbed of election integrity. They encourage student voting even when those students have more voting rights than New Hampshire residents—no concern for that whatsoever.
Carson Bates, ’27, was born and raised in the Atlanta area.
Xander Barber, ’27, now a resident of Portland, Maine, hails from Asheville in western North Carolina.
Ellie Appelgren ’28, who is from the Fort Myers area, said it was “bizarre” to experience the impact of Hurricane Ian.
For students who live far from home, constantly worrying about the safety of their loved ones and hometowns while juggling their own lives at college can be overwhelming. However, relying on the College community to be a strong support network, according to Appelgren, can help to “lessen the hurt” that students may feel.
One helpful piece of college community support included an op-ed urging eligible voters to vote. Translated, this means bring your student ID with your on-campus address, register the same day, and vote Democrat—usually. And they know it.
Students not yet registered should not be deterred — you can still register the day of — but should realize that voting may become more difficult in the years to come. We are frightened by this prospect and urge Dartmouth students to remember: you are domiciled in New Hampshire and able to vote in the Granite State. Know your rights, and exercise them.
Know your rights. As in, you have the right to vote absentee to the address from which you filed your application to Dartmouth—the one with the address where the bank sends the bills to repay your student loans. You can vote here, and you can vote there, whereas Granite Stater’s can’t.
That is what protecting Student voting rights in New Hampshire means, and it’s not right.
