am modifying my question slightly since I figured out the original issue.
If I have this dropdownList and by default, it is not visible on page load
<td>
<asp:DropDownList ID="LongDistance" runat="server" style="display:none;" >
<asp:ListItem value="2">$2 per mile</asp:ListItem>
<asp:ListItem value="4">$4 per mile</asp:ListItem>
</asp:DropDownList>
<asp:RequiredFieldValidator runat="server" id="RequiredFieldValidator4"
ControlToValidate="tripType" ErrorMessage = "please select long distance type!"
display="Dynamic" style="color: #FF0000; font-size: small" />
</td>
As you can see, user is required to make a selection before proceeding.
If this dropdownList contro ...
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