A bill to exempt college student e-mails and phone numbers from the state’s open records law was defeated in the state Senate.
The bill was introduced after a Bismarck ad agency asked for – and received – student e-mail addresses to send partisan political information to those students.
"I believe that students who live in our communities should have the same level of exposure to our political missives as anyone else who is living there and possibly voting in those districts," said Sen. Ray Holmberg (R-Grand Forks).
But Sen. Carolyn Nelson (D-Fargo) argued for the bill.
"The objection was not that they didn't want the information -- they had a right to get that," said Nelson. "They didn't want the whole list of every student in the University System released to an ad agency to get inundated with information."
The measure failed on a 26 to 20 vote.