Students at Michigan State University contacted the ACLU of Michigan when they discovered that university rules interfered with their ability to register students to vote in their dorms.
ACLU representatives and student voting rights advocates met with university administrators in January 2016 to explain the problem. We worked together to craft a policy that allows students to exercise their First Amendment rights while keeping dorm residents safe. The new policy allows students to (1) conduct voter registration door-to-door on the residence halls if they were accompanied by a member of the dorm; (2) register students at tables in public places of the dorms; (3) post literature on community bulletin boards about voter registration without seeking prior authorization; and (4) distribute voter registration literature addressed to students in the student mailboxes.
(ACLU Legal Director Michael J. Steinberg; Cooperating Attorney Alison Hirschel.)
