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The sleepy little town of Livingston, Texas, awoke on September 21, 2000, to find itself in the eye of a hurricane. Not the kind of hurricane whose results are plainly visible by the aftermath of toppled trees, smashed homes, and lives left in shambles. Still, the aftermath of this political storm will be felt by thousands of full-time RVers throughout the United States whenever they try to use their right to vote.

A "something smells fishy" atmosphere surrounded the people who crowded into the Polk County Courthouse that morning. Dozens of others, unable to get into the jam-packed courtroom, consoled each other not to worry, this is America, they won't take away our right to vote.

There were spectators from both political parties, and caught in the middle were 9,000 Escapees whose right to vote was being challenged by three local Livingston residents. The Escapees felt the challenge itself was insulting, but what really bothered them was that this challenge had been made less than 60 days before a critical election. Since the challenge had been discussed a year before, why had they not been sent these confirmation notices months in advance of the election?

And why, after 16 years of having their domicile in Livingston, was it even being challenged? The reason was obvious. Texas is in a tight race for a Senate seat in a crucial election that could decide which party has the Senate majority.

That September 21 hearing determined that, indeed, the 9,000 people who use the Escapees mail-forwarding service must prove they have a legal domicile, and they must do it on a special confirmation document within 30 days from the date of postmark on that document. Those who are traveling may not even receive their notice within the 30 days! Yet, if they do not return the proper response within the 30-day period, their vote will not be counted. This means a potential of 24 percent of the 37,418 registered voters in Polk County may not get to vote on November 7.

In the national picture, the tiny town of Livingston in a big state like Texas may seem inconsequential. It is like a snowball being pushed from the top of a long hill. Almost too small to be noticed with the first push, it will gather momentum as it rolls, and at the bottom of the hill it will come to rest at the door of the Supreme Court.

How could it be that important? Whatever decision is made in this Texas election, there has to be a clear definition adopted by the U.S. legislators to find a definitive answer to where full-timers should vote. The swelling number of full-time RVers will demand an answer. If they cannot use their mail service, wherever it may be, as their legal domicile address, and they have no "fixed property address" except that mail service, where can they vote?

The answer until now has been, where is their domicile?

Domicile, in lay terms, means you decide which is the one state you call your home. It is a decision each citizen has the right to make-and to change. You can have several residences, such as a summer and a winter home in different states, but you must declare one of them to be your domicile, the place where you "intend" to return between or after your travels. If you mentally intend to go someplace and then do nothing about it, your intent was not very real. You must take some action to demonstrate that it is your intent.

In the case of the 9,000 challenged Texas voters, that action consisted of registering their vehicles in Polk County, obtaining a Texas driver license, and registering to vote using the only address they have a mail-forwarding service in Livingston. Many of them went even farther and joined a local church, moved their money from their former state of residence to a Livingston bank, and had their will updated in Texas. Some of them even filed a legal affidavit of domicile in Livingston. The only thing that most of them did not do is buy property in Texas. Some people feel they no longer need a piece of land. They've been there and done that. Now they seek the freedom to travel without being tied by an umbilical cord to one particular fixed property.

So, following the law as far as possible, they did all the other things required to show intent of domicile and believed that the mail-forwarding service they subscribe to provided them with a legal domicile address. After all, a mail-forwarding service address is accepted by the IRS, the judicial system, and bill collectors, as well as their family and friends.

Now we are getting the message that hundreds of thousands of RVers who are now or who intend to be full-timers in the years ahead will lose their right to vote simply because their homes are on wheels instead of on a "fixed" piece of property.

For most citizens, choosing a domicile is automatic. Their domicile, their residence, and their house are synonymous. But for full-time RVers there is no definite fixed place. Their only residence is the motor home or travel trailer in which they live and travel.

"Let them vote somewhere else," was a statement made during the Polk County Courthouse hearing. Where is that place? No one had an answer. Some of those in the crowded courtroom didn't care. But for the Escapees caught in the political web it matters very much. For over 9,000 Escapees members, Livingston, Texas, is the place they call home. It is the place where they stay when they are in East Texas. It is the only address they have.

It is fear of the other party's getting the majority of Senate seats that polarized people in what had once been a friendly, live-and-let-live community. The Escapees asked themselves, "Does a political allegiance mean more than the friendships established over a 16-year period?"

To answer that question, they held a demonstration at the Polk County Courthouse in Livingston on September 26 and invited everyone in the community to attend. Their theme was "Community Over Politics."

Uncertain of what would happen, more than a hundred Escapees members carpooled to the courthouse lawn. They were amazed at the overpowering warmth extended by dozens of business owners and more than a hundred ordinary citizens who joined them on the courthouse lawn to demonstrate that community is more important than politics and to raise their voices in support of the traveling Escapees' right to vote in their town.

It is obvious that the law on eligibility of where one votes must be clear enough for everyone to understand. It cannot be left to individual attorneys to interpret according to whom they are representing.

The right to vote goes far beyond Texas. No one has an accurate count of how many full-time RVers are roaming the country without any address except a mail-forwarding service or a relative who has agreed to forward their mail. We do know that the number will continue to swell as the baby boomers decide to become full-time RVers. Obviously, only a small portion of these new RV travelers will use Texas for their mail, vehicle registration, and voting address.

But if RV travelers are denied the right to vote because they have no fixed property address in Texas, where will the next challenge take place? And if RVers are denied the right to vote because they are "transients," what group will be next? Long-haul truck drivers? Migrant workers? Military personnel? College students?

So, what may seem on the surface to be a small town political fight is only the tip of the iceberg. If we don't like the laws in a particular state, we can move to another one. But if we are shut out from voting for those who will be making the laws in Congress, the laws we, too, must live by where do we move?

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