[speaker001:] yeah are you there
[speaker002:] yes
[speaker001:] okay do you know the question for today
[speaker002:] uh yes it's about why there aren't more people that are voting and participating in
[speaker001:] and what is your feeling do you think this is vital importance
[speaker002:] oh absolutely
[speaker001:] okay do you
[speaker002:] um I think that uh it's kind of discouraging to um I have been involved in some political campaigns and that kind of thing and it's really discouraging to be in a phone bank and call people and not a lot of them are so ill informed they have no idea you know even there's there's an election or and these are people that are registered
[speaker001:] I it I have worked in some campaigns and it's the most discouraging thing in the world I'm originally from Oklahoma and up there if they miss three elections then they have to reregister and I have often wondered if if maybe that would help the situation I don't know
[speaker002:] well that's a thought
[speaker001:] well can you come up with anything else that maybe we could do to these people
[speaker002:] hm I don't know I I like that idea um oh I had a though just a second ago but it slipped my mind um
[speaker001:] oh that's it's
[speaker002:] one thing that I that I think probably one of the reasons that people don't vote more is because they don't know the candidates and I think sometimes you know that's one thing that I have learned in working working in elections and things is you know sometimes even when you work for someone you don't really know what they're like I know there's been a couple of people that we voted for and worked for and when they got in office it was just a disaster
[speaker001:] well
[speaker002:] uh and and I'm not sure how you go about really finding out what people are really like before you vote for them
[speaker001:] I'm I'm I'm not sure the only thing is if they don't vote they have no right to complain
[speaker002:] absolutely
[speaker001:] it is um I don't know why we are so complacent but I'm gonna vote each time right or wrong I'm gonna cast a ballot and then if I'm unhappy with it I have the right to express my opinion
[speaker002:] that's right
[speaker001:] so uh there was something else I was gonna and I'm like you I've just lost a train of thought that I had but they have been more little more effective in Oklahoma with having this program that you vote or you lose it
[speaker002:] now if you just lose if you just skip one election
[speaker001:] no three you have to you have to skip three
[speaker002:] three um-hum
[speaker001:] and um course those can be they can be oh a long time apart but um
[speaker002:] I think that's an excellent idea because then people really have to think about it
[speaker001:] of course what do you think and this is not one of our questions but what do you think of this no excuse absentee balloting
[speaker002:] no excuse I I'm not sure if I'm familiar with that or not
[speaker001:] okay I'm sure all over the state of Texas now you have three weeks to go for absentee balloting
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] and you don't have to have be sick out of town or anything there there is no excuse anyone can go and vote
[speaker002:] oh I think that's great uh
[speaker001:] do you
[speaker002:] actually you know my husband has run for office before and sometimes it's nice to be able to go ahead of time and vote because you know if you're gonna be tied up that day uh campaigning or whatever it might be um that kind of just kind of takes that load off you know you can just go ahead and get that taken care of and
[speaker001:] but that is an excuse and that would I could live with
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] but this idea of anyone well I just I am so bitterly opposed to this if you're busy that has always been a legitimate excuse
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] if you are incapacitated ill health but to have the expense of let's see they have five six people at my polling place they can come from all over the city and I don't know why we couldn't have duplicate voting on some of this
[speaker002:] well hopefully once they have uh you know once they've checked them off the list they they do have to check them off a list
[speaker001:] yes I know
[speaker002:] when they vote so hopefully they couldn't
[speaker001:] but is there is every list checked as thoroughly as a you know we back in it when I lived