A common misconception among college students is that registering to vote at college will somehow affect eligibility for financial aid or affect parents’ tax benefits. Fortunately, this misconception has no basis in fact.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, neither taxes nor financial aid will be impacted by a student’s voting registration.
Stated simply on the Brennan Center Web site at http://www.brennancenter.org, “Where you register to vote will not affect any of your federal financial aid, including Pell Grants, Perkins and Stafford Loans, Academic Competitive Grants, SMART Grants, and other federal loans. It will also not affect whether you are considered your parents’ dependent for FAFSA purposes.”
As to tax benefit eligibility, the Brennan Center offers the following, saying, “If you make less than $3,500 in a year and your parents provide more than half of your support … for that year, you are a qualifying relative and are your parents’ dependent no matter where you live.”
So, if as a student you are told to think twice before registering to vote, know your rights before you sacrifice a chance to affect this pivotal election.
Voter registration misconceptions, beware! -mts
