T E X A R K A N A M A G A Z I N E
LIFE OF THE PARTY BY SONJA HUBBARD
I n 1980, election officials came to Ashdown High School and registered students to vote, those of us who had attained legal age. I was excited to be all grown up, ready to make my own decisions and do my part as a proud American citizen. But as I stood there awaiting my voter registration card, the volunteer, without an utterance requesting party affiliation, took a rubber stamp and slammed a big red “Democrat” on my card. She then handed it back to me and abruptly turned to the next kid. I walked away wondering, “What just happened? Why wasn’t I given a choice?” Being a naïve young voter, I was also unsure if it even mattered. In 1985, after graduating from college and moving to Texarkana, I was more self-assured and now truly ready to make my mark and do my part. I’d even studied the issues and candidates for the local, county and state seats. I was an informed voter. My husband and I arrived at our polling place for the primary elections. He chose the Democratic ballot and I the Republican. When we met back in the parking lot, he seemed satisfied, and I again dismayed. Most of the elections weren’t even on my ballot. I didn’t have anyone to vote for. I clearly wasn’t as informed as I thought and again, proved to be a naïve voter. I learned, the hard way, that Texas has open primaries, as opposed to closed primaries, but not nonpartisan primaries. That’s when I researched and learned the difference. An open primary is a primary election that does not require voters to be affiliated with a political party. Any registered voter may participate in the primaries, regardless of political affiliation. However, voters must choose one party’s ballot. In a closed primary, only party affiliated voters may vote in their party’s primary. Generally, voters must have been registered with that party before Primary Day (or another specified deadline). No unaffiliated voter may participate.
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