News

Student Voter Provision Removed From Ohio Budget

By:
Posted on:

< < Back to

Ohio senators have removed from the state budget a proposal forcing universities to offer in-state tuition to out-of-state students who request the documents necessary to vote in the state.

It was among dozens of changes to the spending blueprint accepted Tuesday by the Senate Finance Committee.

Universities often provide documents, such as utility bills, to serve as students' proof of residency when they register to vote in the presidential swing state. The provision had required universities that continue to provide that documentation to charge those students lower in-state tuition.

The Inter-University Council of Ohio, which represents the state's 14 public universities, estimated that more than 29,000 students would fit that description. And the measure could have cost universities up to $370 million.

Critics said the measure would suppress votes.