AUGUSTA — A bill to restrict some Maine college students' right to vote in towns where their campuses are located is near dead.

The House of Representatives voted 90-49 Wednesday in support of a motion to reject the bill. The Senate will consider a motion to kill it when it returns to the State House next week.

The bill seeks to bar college students from out-of-state from voting in Maine if their residence is a dorm.

The sponsor, Rep. L. Gary Knight, R-Livermore Falls, believes nonresident students should vote by absentee ballot in their hometowns.

Opponents say the bill runs counter to a trend by states to encourage students to vote. Officials from college towns say the bill would disenfranchise students.