To my fellow out-of-state students: Don’t vote (in Maine) | Opinion

Maine College Students Debate Whether to Vote in Town Elections

By Maine News Now
Waterville, Maine – March 14, 2026

The 2026 Maine Senate race has drawn national attention, but for students at the state’s private colleges the real question is whether they should cast ballots in local town elections while enrolled out of state. A discussion sparked by a recent op‑ed from Colby College junior Cleo Rehkopf has turned the spotlight on residency rules, civic engagement initiatives and long‑standing tensions between college towns and their universities.

The Issue

Colby College, Bates College, Bowdoin College and the University of Maine schools all report that a large portion of their student bodies—roughly 90 % at Colby, Bates and Bowdoin and about 30 % at UMaine campuses—live on campus or in nearby housing during the academic year. Those students are legally eligible to register to vote in the towns where they are physically residing, even if they will soon move away after graduation.

Rehkopf’s column argues that voting in a town where a student has only a temporary residency may dilute the voice of permanent residents and that it could undermine the “town‑gown” relationship. She notes that in 2019, 165 votes—most of which were from Colby students—were challenged in a referendum to ban plastic bags in certain Waterville stores. The measure passed by a margin of 146 votes, but the challenge was based on the students’ status as non‑residents.

The column also references a Facebook post from Waterville’s Yardgoods Center, which complained that Colby students were taking customer parking spaces. A commenter responded, “I’ll bring the Trump bumper stickers if you want to put them on.” The exchange, Rehkopf notes, reflects broader class and partisan divisions between the university and the town.

Organizations Encouraging Student Voting

Several groups are actively encouraging college students to register and vote in local elections:

• NESCAC Votes – A nonprofit that promotes voter registration and turnout among New England Small College Athletic Conference members.
• Maine Students Vote – A statewide coalition that partners with schools to increase youth participation in elections.
• Bowdoin’s McKeen Center for the Common Good – The center’s website states, “If you are currently abroad but you plan to return to live at school or home, then you retain your right to register there.”

These organizations cite the importance of youth engagement for strengthening democracy. However, Rehkopf warns that encouraging students to vote in communities where they have limited ties could “weaken democracy” by diluting the votes of long‑term residents.

Legal Background

Maine law allows any person who is a resident of a town to register to vote there. A student who lives on campus in a town for the duration of the school year is considered a resident for the purposes of election registration. The law does not distinguish between permanent residents and temporary ones, and many colleges rely on state statutes to allow students to cast ballots in their town of residence.

The debate hinges on the interpretation of what constitutes a “community” and whether a temporary resident should be allowed to influence decisions that will affect them for only a short period.

The Bigger Picture

While the 2026 Senate election has become a national focal point—Maine’s Senate seats are currently split 12‑12 and could shift control to either party—local elections remain critical for issues that directly affect residents, such as zoning, public safety, and environmental regulation. Rehkopf argues that students who plan to leave soon after graduation may have little stake in the long‑term outcomes of those decisions.

The article also references a broader national trend. It mentions California’s Proposition 50, adopted in 2025, which temporarily altered congressional district maps in response to partisan redistricting concerns. Rehkopf uses the California example to illustrate how a threat to democracy can lead some to abandon democratic principles for convenience.

Community Sentiment

Rehkopf’s piece reflects a broader sense of discomfort among some town residents about the influence of college students on local politics. In Waterville, a 2019 plastic‑bag ban referendum was challenged by residents who questioned the legitimacy of student votes. The town’s mayor, in a 2019 interview, noted that “the student vote is a double‑edged sword: it can bring fresh ideas, but it can also undermine the will of long‑term residents.”

On the student side, many view their time in Maine as an opportunity to learn about civic engagement. Some students, after reading Rehkopf’s column, have expressed uncertainty about whether they should vote in town elections or focus on larger state or national contests.

Moving Forward

The debate is ongoing. Student groups are preparing to provide clearer guidance to their members. One university has announced it will host a forum on residency and voting rights later this semester. Local officials are also discussing potential policy changes, such as requiring students to prove a longer duration of residency before being eligible to vote.

Rehkopf concludes that while student voter registration initiatives “do us all a service by encouraging greater civic engagement,” the decision to vote in a particular community ultimately rests with the individual’s ties to that community. She suggests that students who are passionate about an issue—such as a plastic‑bag ban—can still make an impact by canvassing and discussing the issue with permanent residents, even if they choose not to vote in that town’s election.

About the Author

Cleo Rehkopf is a junior at Colby College studying philosophy, physics and education. Her recent column was published in the Press Herald and has sparked discussion among students and community members across Maine.