Campus voter registration drives could be considered political activism under a new warning from the Trump administration that also seeks to prevent election fraud.
Guidance issued by the Department of Education this week notified colleges and universities that federal funds cannot be used to support “political activism.”
The agency singled out campus voter registration drives and rescinded a Biden-era rule that allowed Federal Work Study funds to pay students to “engage in certain partisan and nonpartisan political activities.” Work study should focus on real-world experiences, Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said.
“The American taxpayer will no longer fund poll workers, voter hotlines, or political rallies on campus,” Kent said in a statement. “We will also not require institutions to solicit students to register to vote if they know they are ineligible.”
In the guidance, the administration acknowledges that the Higher Education Act requires colleges and universities to distribute voter registration forms to students. However, it also wants institutions to help prevent fraud by not providing voting information to students who are not eligible to vote.
The Department of Education wants schools to notify students that:
- Only citizens of the United States may vote in federal elections.
- Voting more than once, including voting in two or more states, is illegal.
- Knowingly or willfully providing false information—such as name, address or period of residence—to establish eligibility to register or vote is illegal.
- In most states, individuals may only register to vote where they are domiciled, and they may not declare residence in more than one place.
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