Unsure where to register to vote -- I have no home

[Cerulean]

I tried finding the answer online, but I can't come up with anything. I also tried to email some key people -- not surprised I got no response.

I used to live in Colorado and have a Colorado drivers' license. I go to college in Utah. While I was in college, my dad separated from my stepmother and he now lives in Arizona. I consider my "home" address to be in Arizona -- and I don't want to have anything to do with my old Colorado address.

I think I should register to vote in Colorado but I don't know what to use for a home address.

[Titania]

You use your current address, not your "home." It's kind of shady to use a state you've never lived in just because your dad lives there. You're an adult now. I don't think it'd get checked up on if you'd insist.

They do want an ID number on the application, but I do not think having an out of state one will interfere. Out of state students register to vote at their college all the time.

I'd advise using your dorm address. No legal grey area, you won't be casting an absentee ballot, and there'll probably be a handy voting center on campus just for you students. The last two elections have been quirks, they're usually not counted.

[orange]

I believe your drivers licence determines your voting location. I grew up in Michigan, but go to school in PA. However, my family recently moved to FL, so I went down for a weekend and switched my drivers license and voter registration to FL for insurance reasons, so I now vote in a state where I've never actually lived.

/and my primary votes don't count... yay!

[Ellipsis]

I believe your drivers licence determines your voting location. I grew up in Michigan, but go to school in PA. However, my family recently moved to FL, so I went down for a weekend and switched my drivers license and voter registration to FL for insurance reasons, so I now vote in a state where I've never actually lived.

/and my primary votes don't count... yay!

Hypothetically...if l did not own a car and was resident of the US what then? Any state issued photo ID which is from a specific state...would that not enable one to vote in two different states if procession of two different state issued IDs from different states?(would that be legal?)

[Titania]

Hypothetically...if l did not own a car and was resident of the US what then? Any state issued photo ID which is from a specific state...would that not enable one to vote in two different states if procession of two different state issued IDs from different states?(would that be legal?)I'd strongly suggest not committing such an easily caught felony.

[Cerulean]

You use your current address, not your "home." It's kind of shady to use a state you've never lived in just because your dad lives there. You're an adult now. I don't think it'd get checked up on if you'd insist.

They do want an ID number on the application, but I do not think having an out of state one will interfere. Out of state students register to vote at their college all the time.

I'd advise using your dorm address. No legal grey area, you won't be casting an absentee ballot, and there'll probably be a handy voting center on campus just for you students. The last two elections have been quirks, they're usually not counted.

The few people on campus I've talked to cast absentee ballots. I'll check if the campus will have polls (it's a private college, if not the state college is not far). I would like to use my dorm address but I thought that might be weird since it changes all the time and a lot of forms ask for a "permanent address".

orange, your situation seems exactly like mine and I think that is a good solution. Too bad I just got back from Arizona! Arizona licenses are way cheaper than Utah's anyway. :P

I had another thought -- where do full-time RVers register to vote? They have no permanent address. Here's part of what this article (http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/nov/07/living-in-rv-costs-bradley-voters/) said:

There is no national standard for voter residency. Many places require a genuine physical address or some intent to become a permanent resident. But the rules differ from state to state, in some cases from county to county.

The actual decision is often left up to a county election official.

Doug Lewis, director of the National Association of Election Officials, predicted the RVers in Tennessee would win in court, noting that homeless people have been allowed to say they live under a bridge.

_____

In light of similar articles I've found, it sounds like I should be able to say my dad's address is my permanent address, or I could vote in Utah and use whatever my address will be then. I just need to check out the specifics. I know Utah makes it pretty hard to become a resident, so they might have some problems. I'll see.

[Titania]

Fill this out:

http://www.rockthevote.com/

The homeless can vote using the address of where they say they sleep, and a mailing address:

http://www.nationalhomeless.org/getinvolved/projects/vote/legalissues.html

This is all very silly. Your entire problem is that you are defining "home" in an emotional way, and the state doesn't recognize that.

You have a bed you sleep on at night and a mailing address, I assume. All you need is the address of where your cot is and a mailing address, and they needn't be the same. Your ID doesn't need to be the ID of the state you're living in, the address of the place you sleep is the significant factor in where you vote.

If you want to vote, you have two options: an absentee ballot for the state of your legal residence (where your dad's ex is), or use your college as your domicile and vote from there. The law doesn't count you loving your daddy a whole lot towards establishing legal residence.

You are being silly and making this overly complicated.

[HackerX]

(I'm not an american, so it might be different over there, but if it's anything like the rest of the world...)

You vote in the area you live in currently. Generally, if you've been in an area more than a couple of months, that counts as living there (Where as, an absentee vote would be if you're were on holidays, but your primary living address is in another state. College doesn't count as a holiday!). For you this will be your college address.

As for your drivers licence, there's probably something that stipulates in the local traffic laws that if you live in the area for long enough to count as living there (as per above) then you're supposed to switch your licence to that state. So you've really got it the wrong way round.