Free speech question in Virginia

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?Virginia
I have just been kicked of a Northern Virginia Community College campus (a public schooL) for registering students to vote. I wore an Obama button and a "register to vote" button. Will someone explain to me why it is ok for street preachers to come on to the Virginia Commonwealth University campus in Richmond (another public school) and tell kids they will burn if they don't accept Jesus but it is not ok for me to register voters wearing an Obama button. I would feel much better if I understood this. Thank you

yorkyfan said:

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?Virginia
I have just been kicked of a Northern Virginia Community College campus (a public schooL) for registering students to vote. I wore an Obama button and a "register to vote" button. Will someone explain to me why it is ok for street preachers to come on to the Virginia Commonwealth University campus in Richmond (another public school) and tell kids they will burn if they don't accept Jesus but it is not ok for me to register voters wearing an Obama button. I would feel much better if I understood this. Thank you

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I'm going to go out on a very short limb and postulate that it has something to do with the fact that you are not a student there.

You Are Guilty said:

I'm going to go out on a very short limb and postulate that it has something to do with the fact that you are not a student there.

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Neither are the street preachers nor are they sponsered by a student organization.

Did you get permission for your activity before showing up on campus? The university will want to verify your credentials and make sure you are not just making kids THINK they are registered to vote. People do crap like that you know. They also will want to make sure you're not some predator collecting addresses and phone numbers of students for nefarious purposes.

Street preachers are just talking, they're not actually collecting any information from people.

And, just to be clear, that would happen no matter what political affiliation you profess.

yorkyfan said:

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?Virginia
I have just been kicked of a Northern Virginia Community College campus (a public schooL) for registering students to vote. I wore an Obama button and a "register to vote" button. Will someone explain to me why it is ok for street preachers to come on to the Virginia Commonwealth University campus in Richmond (another public school) and tell kids they will burn if they don't accept Jesus but it is not ok for me to register voters wearing an Obama button. I would feel much better if I understood this. Thank you

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Maybe the other University hasn't caught the street preachers yet. Or maybe the street preachers don't actually come onto the campus. Of course, you're discussing TWO different schools here, different campuses with different rules. Maybe they don't like PrezBO. Maybe they thought you were causing problems at the campus. Did you ask Campus Security about it?

I also wonder if the OP is making a profit from each person registered.

I've found in arguments that it gets one absolutely nowhere to use, "But the other person somewhere else gets to do it!"

That's just a hint.

tranquility said:

I also wonder if the OP is making a profit from each person registered.

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What nonsense! I am a volunteer. I was using state of Virginia registration forms (which you can pick up at any public library). People who registered were given a dated receipt that contained State of Virginia board of elections phone number and email and the name and phone number of our organization. They were instructed to contact the state of Virginia board of elections if they did not receive their voter registration card in 30 days.

The notion that people make a profit registering voters is a fantasy. Having been involved in many registration events, I can tell you it is a very slow business. For every two hours a volunteer works, we typically register 1-2 people depending on location. If I got paid for registering voters, I wouldn't make enough money to buy a stick of gum! And I have been registering voters for about 9 months now and haven't encountered one person who got paid to register voters.

But, as to the other comments, I appreciate them and may contact security at the school to see what the concerns are and how to address them.

yorkyfan said:

What nonsense! I am a volunteer. I was using state of Virginia registration forms (which you can pick up at any public library). People who registered were given a dated receipt that contained State of Virginia board of elections phone number and email and the name and phone number of our organization. They were instructed to contact the state of Virginia board of elections if they did not receive their voter registration card in 30 days.

The notion that people make a profit registering voters is a fantasy. Having been involved in many registration events, I can tell you it is a very slow business. For every two hours a volunteer works, we typically register 1-2 people depending on location. If I got paid for registering voters, I wouldn't make enough money to buy a stick of gum! And I have been registering voters for about 9 months now and haven't encountered one person who got paid to register voters.

But, as to the other comments, I appreciate them and may contact security at the school to see what the concerns are and how to address them.

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Maybe people just pick up the forms for themselves.

The question was a legitimate one because there are organizations that pay a "bounty" for signatures on referendums, registration paperwork, etc. These practices vary by state, but it is a legitimate question and could make a difference in the decision of any college.

But, since that does not appear to be the case here, you may have just been unlucky and got asked to leave. It could be that the person that asked did not know the law, or that where you were collecting signatures was disruptive to activities, or maybe someone complained about your demeanor or other activity. Who knows? You might want to ask them about it and ask where you can egister vters in the future.

Question: Do you also register non-Democrat voters?

Question: Do you also register non-Democrat voters?

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Are you asking the OP to admit to a crime Carl?

While I thank you for the defense (I have no idea why the reaction was so strong.), I'd hope even the most partisan person wouldn't commit an obvious crime when trying to register voters. I think the basic value is that the Democrats believe the youth vote is theirs because that's the way it has been in the past with a huge uptick in 2008.

CdwJava said:

The question was a legitimate one because there are organizations that pay a "bounty" for signatures on referendums, registration paperwork, etc. These practices vary by state, but it is a legitimate question and could make a difference in the decision of any college.

But, since that does not appear to be the case here, you may have just been unlucky and got asked to leave. It could be that the person that asked did not know the law, or that where you were collecting signatures was disruptive to activities, or maybe someone complained about your demeanor or other activity. Who knows? You might want to ask them about it and ask where you can egister vters in the future.

Question: Do you also register non-Democrat voters?

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We do not ask anyone party affiliation. There is no requirement on the form to declare party in Virginia. In fact, the only thing I ask people is if they wish to register to vote. I then hand the form to them to fill out. We do not fill it out for them. If they wish to fill out the form at home, they can take a blank form home. Although I wore an Obama button, I do not discuss politics while an individual is registering. I will answer questions about the form, voter id law in Virginia, rights restoration, how to vote absentee, what to do if you are military, homeless, etc. This is all information that can be found on the state of Virginia website or at your local board of elections website but many questions pop up as a person is registering.

yorkyfan said:

We do not ask anyone party affiliation. There is no requirement on the form to declare party in Virginia. In fact, the only thing I ask people is if they wish to register to vote. I then hand the form to them to fill out. We do not fill it out for them. If they wish to fill out the form at home, they can take a blank form home. Although I wore an Obama button, I do not discuss politics while an individual is registering. I will answer questions about the form, voter id law in Virginia, rights restoration, how to vote absentee, what to do if you are military, homeless, etc. This is all information that can be found on the state of Virginia website or at your local board of elections website but many questions pop up as a person is registering.

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Of course this was many, many, many moons ago, but when I was in college it was shortly after 18 year olds had been given the vote. There were ALWAYS people on campus registering students to vote and there were ALWAYS people on campus helping students cast absentee ballots. However, I do believe that those people had the blessing, if not the encouragement of the university to be there.

Perhaps your problem is a simple as getting a permit from the school to be there.