COLORADO SPRINGS- The Colorado Independent has reported a new salvo in El Paso County’s Clerk & Recorder Bob Balink’s usual anti-election measures. Balink is IN CHARGE of all local polling outlets, he’s partisan as GOP SHIT, he’s faced accusations before, and this latest move seems to betray what he thinks he can get away with. Though Balink’s election-year tradition of intimidating Colorado College students was this time rebuked, his comeback should land him in jail.
Every election year, Colorado College are warned by El Paso County administrators that if they try to register in the county, they might be breaking the law. When the same strategy was tried this year, the students struck back with a newspaper article dispelling the untruthful scare tactic. Bob Balink’s staff had to backpedal in public, but the CC journalists have received another salvo.
This letter was sent to CC on behalf of El Paso County, drafted by a Denver attorney. It explained that registering in El Paso County:
“can have cascading effects”
“could affect the students and their parents financially.”
have “ramifications that go far beyond where they cast their ballot.”
“could result in criminal penalties.”
“can jeopardize their parents’ ability to claim the student as a dependent”
“could end up costing the parents the $3,500 tax deduction.”
“could impact … health insurance plan or auto insurance policy.”
“could have a rough awakening”
Here is the full text of the letter:
The September 24th article [in the Colorado Springs Gazette], “Balink under fire for error on CC voter registration”, gives significant attention to whether Colorado College students are able to register to vote, yet little attention is given to the consequences of doing so.
Advocates, such as Senator John Morse, Martha Tierney, and Pat Waak, are correct in stating that there are no prohibitions on Colorado College students registering to vote. Nevertheless, out-of-state students should do so with their eyes wide open. Registering to vote in Colorado can have cascading effects that could affect the students and their parents financially.
When an individual registers to vote in Colorado, they make an affirmation that they are a resident of Colorado. The statement of residency exceeds merely being present in the state. The affirmation also includes abandoning prior residency in other states. Additionally, it makes departure from the student’s home permanent rather than temporary.
This distinction of a student living here temporarily or establishing a domicile has ramifications that go far beyond where they cast their ballot. Colorado law allows students who are here temporarily to maintain vehicle registration and drivers licenses in their home state. Once an out-of-state student registers to vote and declares Colorado as their state of residency, all the additional obligations of residency attach. These obligations include both vehicle registration and obtaining a Colorado drivers license. Failure to do either of these acts could result in criminal penalties. Are the students who are the targets of voter registration drives informed of these consequences? Are they aware of the big picture impact of signing the voter registration form?
Beyond the student’s new obligations related to Colorado state residency, there are other potential consequences to establishing residency as a student. Out-of-state students who are claimed as dependents by their parents can jeopardize their parents’ ability to claim the student as a dependent on their taxes. Establishing a new domicile outside of the parents’ home state could end up costing the parents the $3,500 tax deduction. The establishment of a new domicile could impact the student’s dependency status that is required for eligibility under the parents’ health insurance plan or auto insurance policy. Students who intend to return to a state school in their home state for graduate school could have a rough awakening when they find out that they have to pay out-of-state tuition because they have lost their previous in-state status. These are complex issues that must be addressed.
It is worth noting that an out-of-state student can still participate in the election by requesting an absentee ballot from their home state, if that is where they are registered. The voter registration drives that are targeting Colorado College students have a moral obligation to inform them of the impacts of their voter registration and to suggest that they consult with their parents prior to registering.
While groups that work to increase involvement in the electoral process should be applauded, blindly pushing students to register in Colorado, even when doing so could be to their detriment, is wrong. Registering out-of-state students in Colorado without fully disclosing the potential impacts of such registration borders on exploitation.
For further information contact:
Zakhem-Atherton LLC
303-228-1200
Mr. Erik Groves
Denver, CO
Has anybody noticed that Bobolink is also a synonym for Quayle?
Or that students from Out of State already pay twice the Price for attending a State University?
I mean, that’s pretty standard.
The letter simply cautions the students to consider possible ramifications of registering to vote in Colorado. It’s the information that Bob Balink should’ve provided from the beginning. To suggest that he should go to jail for clarifying murky waters is silly.
Marie is right. This is not disenfranchisement at all, though it certainly is a way to make it harder for a certain bloc of liberal Democratic Party voters to vote in Colorado instead of other states. That was it’s intent.
People like Balink really don’t want likely Democratic Party voters to have it easy finding access to the polls. Hence, Balink’s ilk elsewhere is harping about the liberal DO-tied Acorn’s voter registration efforts, too.
That all being said, has anybody really seen the Democratic Party itself making access to political channels easier for anybody other than themselves and the Republcian Party? No? I didn’t think so….
Amazing how even while the GagZette and the Rocky are spewing that students at Colorado universities are more “conservative” than your average NASCAR event participant or fan…
Bobolink is trying to scare them off voting.
Also neither the DOT nor the IRS nor any of them other groovie Gubmint initials are threatening to crack down on students over Drivers Licenses or Taxes because of their votes.
Would messieurs Grove and Balink perhaps be intending to incite such actions if the students DO vote en masse?
Or only if their precincts go overwhelmingly Not Republican….
The Attorney also failed to mention that if the students are out of state, and their parents are fronting their tuition, not only does that qualify them as still being dependents, regardless of residency status… (hey, I fill out tax forms, I know this one, if the Attorney doubts it he should run the hypothetical case through TaxAct or some similar commercially available Tax Software) It ALSO gives the Parents, as guarantors of their kiddoe’s rent and tuition, an EXTRA itemized deduction.
If this guy actually works for a Law Office he God-Damn well knows that.
That means the punk is lying for one of two reasons…
One is that he enjoys the sound of the wind whistling through his teeth..
And the other is that he’s being paid to intimidate somebody.
Hello,
I’ve been reading stories on the web about Barack Obama quietly buying chinese food for someone name Brotherjonah and his landlady names Miss Johnnie. I was wonder if the story is true and if so, is it the same Brother Jonah that writes for Not My Tribe?
Ok, so, this Bobolink cat is breaking a few choice laws, some dating back to Reconstruction.
You just AIN’T allowed to make threats to discourage people from voting.
One is the threat that either Bob or his Lawyer plan to get in touch with the Groovie Government Initials and demand they investigate residency.
First off it’s a hollow threat.
The IRS is going to be battling for any kind of remuneration after half the rich-bitches in the country declare bankruptcy and massive business and investment losses. They ain’t going to have any time at all to chase college students who actually have a legal right to vote. Likewise the DMV.
There is NO requirement for a dependent to be living at your residence in order to be your dependent.
If you pay somebody’s rent and bills and upkeep, pay his school tuition, he’s your dependent, he doesn’t even have to be related to you.
Bob O’Link might already know that, his lawyer friend most certainly does.
His Lawyer Friend is also a member of the Bar.
That means, in simplest terms, he’s an Officer of the Courts.
Same responsibilities as a cop but without all the power, like a lawyer can’t just jump out of his car and shoot you a few times and expect to get away with it.
So for him to blatantly threaten, with an obvious lie, well, it’s on the thin line between Making Terroristic Threats and actual Terrorism.
And doing it in an official capacity.
Mr Lawyer Feller, Suh… you can’t actually do that.
Hope to see you at the rally though, sir, and we can discuss it there.
Also not being eligible to be carried on their parents’ insurance
BULLSHIT…
You pay for insurance it doesn’t matter what state or even foreign country the beneficiary of such insurance is in.
And Mr Officer Friendly Lawyer says he’s just a kindly old uncle giving advice or actually something really similar.
And that he’s genuinely concerned that the students, after paying 4 years of out-of-state rate tuition, might have to pay a year or two worth of out-of-state tuition when they return to their home states.
Dude is Slick, doubtless…
But man, he is lying through his teeth, and his obvious educational achievement is just proof that he Knows Fully Well that what he’s telling them is WRONG…
Does he not realize that Colleges usually have attorneys who work directly for the students for just such purposes?
Since he went to Law School himself, he should know that just from his own Experience.
But the Children going to the College, notwithstanding that they passed every entrance requirement, and in today’s tight education market that means they’re a little bit brighter than when, say, a certain Lawyer slid into college..
Somehow they’re innocent lambs in the sights of Ravening Wolves, “Targeted” was his word…
Victims led blindly to the slaughter.
If there’s a law against General Jackass Condescension that dude would never get out of Jail.