Election Rule Change Aids Voter Registration; 1000 Harvard Students May Join City's Rolls

A new state law will help between 500 to 1000 Harvard students become Cambridge voters in time for city elections in November, a spokesman for a coalition of Cambridge community groups predicted yesterday.

David E. Sullivan, coordinator of the Cambridge Committee for Voter Registration (CCVR), said the July 1 statute allows "absolutely no discrimination against students" who wish to claim their dormitory rooms as homes for voting purposes.

Under the law, any American citizen who will be 18 years old by November 5 and who claims Cambridge as his or her home may register to vote in Cambridge by signing a short form.

There is no length of residency requirement for registration, and no identification is needed.

"The law allows a student to register simply by listing his name, address, occupation, and other statistics. He then signs a statement that the information he has provided is correct," Sullivan said.

Party of Your Choice

"After that, the name is entered onto the general election rolls, and the registrant is given a choice of political parties to join," he continued.

A registrant in Massachusetts may join the Democratic, Republican or American Parties, or choose to remain unaffiliated.

About 450 students enrolled as voters last year at registration sessions in Memorial Hall during registration, at the Law School and at Lehman Hall, Sullivan said.

Three years ago, 16 Harvard students were denied bids to register to vote for president by former Election Commissioner Edward J. Samp Jr. until they could prove they intended to live in Cambridge after graduation.

"This law should make it a lot better for students who want to register in Cambridge," Sullivan said.

He also predicted the law would aid the "sidewalk" voter registration drive slated for Harvard and Central Squares through Labor Day.

Committee members will staff registration tables in front of Brigham's restaurant on Mass Ave. from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Tuesday, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday