Allan Said:

Registering to vote?? Please read details...?

We Answered:

No. But you should have received a voter card.

Call the county election commission and ask if you are registered. They can tell you over the phone. If you are registered you can vote using any form of ID.

Alan Said:

do you have to be in the state you're registered in to vote?

We Answered:

You can always call your voting district in TN and get an absentee ballot... but do it quickly though as there is a time limit on when you can get it done....

And I am sure you can also register to vote in TX yet not change your residency.... I went to school in OK and I had friends that did that... where as I just sent in for an absentee ballot.

Lynn Said:

My dad won't let me register as a Democrat?

We Answered:

If you're old enough to vote, you're old enough not to tell him your every move. Get a P.O. box and do what you want.

Claude Said:

I am registered to vote in Tennessee but have moved to Illinois, will I be able to vote?

We Answered:

Yes -- you need to register in Illinois. You still have a few days before the deadline.

Tyler Said:

Residency in Tennessee/ Tuition laws?

We Answered:

I;

I'm not sure where you got the idea that Tennessee's tuition residency laws were particularly lenient. I don't see anything in those laws that would lead me to concur.

Like nearly every other state, Tennessee starts out by stating that the domicile of an "unemancipated person" is that of his/her parents'. You are emancipated if you can demonstrate that you do not rely on your parents for financial assistance. You do that by providing evidence that your income and personal assets are sufficient to cover all of your living and educational expenses. (and that they will continue to do so while you are attending school.)

Tennessee also provides that a student who is attending school does not acquire domicile in the state during this period of attendance. That means if you move to the state and start attending school, you're never going to qualify as a resident, no matter how many years you stay in that school.

Other states put this more clearly - the rule is simply "If you move to Tennessee for the primary purpose of attending a state university, you will not qualify for residency. If you arrive in the state and begin attending school, it is presumed that this was your primary reason for coming to Tennessee".

The checklist that you mentioned are examples of things that a person can do to demonstrate his/her intent to make Tennessee their permanent residence. The more of those things you do, the more strongly you make this point.

Unfortunately, what most students do not realize, is that the "I intend to make this my permanent residence" criteria is just one of several criteria that must be satisfied. None of those actions do anything to get you around the rule that says that you're a resident of the state where your parents are domiciled unless you are completely financially independent of them, and none of those things get you around the rule that says that you can not gain residency if you move to the state for the primary purpose of attending school.

The fact that Tennessee does not require a one-year qualification period is the least of the problems that you will need to overcome.

Face it - residency laws exist for only ONE purpose - and that purpose is to prevent you, and other non-residents from taking advantage of the special subsidized tuition rate that is offered to the taxpaying residents of the state. The people whose tax money has been supporting that university, and enabling the subsidy.

Good luck!

Edit: You'll still be up against the "primary purpose" issue. Continued presence in the state as you continue on in school does not make you a resident - it only makes it clearer that you're there only to attend school. If going to school for 2 years made a student a resident, the only people who would pay out-of-state fees would be freshmen and idiots. I'm sorry.

Victoria Said:

How to register as a voter in a new state?

We Answered:

Proceed to the Election Office in Tennessee to register thereat as a transferee.

Kimberly Said:

Registered to Vote in Two States? Presidential Election 2008?

We Answered:

Vote in the state in which you are currently living. When and if you return to Ohio, you will need to re-register. Do not vote in both states, you don't want to take a chance getting caught for voter fraud.