In 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?