Ohio colleges and universities commonly issue students a letter or dorm room utility bill so that their students can establish proof of residency for voting purposes. However, under a new provision, added by the Ohio House to House Bill 59, any university that provides such documents must charge those students in-state tuition.  This move would cost Ohio's public universities over $300 million in lost tuition per year.

While the bill is masquerading as an attempt to keep college costs down, the true intent is to discourage universities from facilitating voting by effectively ending out-of-state tuition rates for a large portion of the student body. Rather than face a huge financial hit, legislators are betting that universities will simply refuse to provide the proof of residency students need in order to vote in Ohio. ...