[speaker001:] today as I understand it is  less than half of all eligible voters participate in national elections
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] and less than that in local elections and do you think that's a problem and do you have any or do we can we can come come up with any solutions for that so if you're ready we'll start
[speaker002:] um-hum okay
[speaker001:] I participate in all of the national you know elections and the state elections that you know that affect me I'm sometimes not too good in local elections I do I do vote you know in bond matters and uh things like that but I don't I no longer have children in school so school board elections you know doesn't really
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] you know I don't really get terribly interested in that
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] but I do try to I don't just vote for to be voting you know I try to have you know educate myself a little bit you know on the on the issues rather than just voting blindly you know
[speaker002:] right um-hum but that's what I do I always I vote in the national elections and I vote pretty much I I've been pretty good about voting in um most of um for like the for for mayor and for governor and and things like that and try to try to
[speaker001:] um-hum right um-hum
[speaker002:] you know go through and figure out because most of the people you don't a lot of them you don't have any knowledge of and just go in and just arbitrarily voting all Republican or all Democrat I try to I try to find out a little bit about them
[speaker001:] that's true um-hum yeah yeah I do too
[speaker002:] but I understand why I I know one problem is uh why people don't don't register to vote I I know some personally because in the past and I think that's been changed that that's how they get the jury uh rolls from from voter registration but I think that's going to be changed
[speaker001:] yeah right uh-huh um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] so I don't know if with that changing if uh you know if the voting will pick up but I think it's just like you say when you're if you're if you don't have an interest in something and you don't really care you may not go and vote
[speaker001:] uh-huh yeah that's true
[speaker002:] but uh
[speaker001:] that's true
[speaker002:] but uh what what is it what was the percentage for national elections
[speaker001:] less than half
[speaker002:] less than half
[speaker001:] less than half I was kind of surprised to hear that
[speaker002:] that that surprises me too
[speaker001:] yeah I thought it would have been higher than that
[speaker002:] hm
[speaker001:] do you ever or have you ever do you ever actively work for a candidate
[speaker002:] um no I haven't
[speaker001:] well I've only done it one time way back when uh John Connally was running for Governor State of Texas many years ago
[speaker002:] uh-hum um-hum
[speaker001:] my wife and I were pretty heavily involved in working in his campaign it's really interesting to do it's hard work but it it's interesting to do but I haven't done any of it done any of it lately
[speaker002:] so uh the campaign that you worked when he was running for governor and that and he was elected that time
[speaker001:] uh-huh right uh-huh yeah uh-huh
[speaker002:] yeah it's I I would imagine it would be pretty I have uh a friend of mine whose her son-in-law is a judge and I've gone to a a few things with her
[speaker001:] um-hum uh-huh
[speaker002:] and uh it's it's just like a different different world getting involved with those kinds with those with those people in politics so it is interesting very interesting
[speaker001:] it really is yeah yeah it yeah it's interesting to do yeah we did mailings put up signs you know and things like that
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] went to a few dinners things like it was interesting it really was of course it was all volunteer we weren't paid members it was interesting to do
[speaker002:] so what so do you think there's any what what could be done to improve the percent of voters
[speaker001:] I don't know maybe it's you know better education I don't know I do believe that you know if you don't educate yourself vote in this these elections whether it's you know local or national you pretty well you know deserve whatever you get you know if you don't if you don't participate in it
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] I really don't know what the solution would be everybody or a lot of people thought when they ended the poll tax you know many years ago that that would bring out you know a lot of voters
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] I don't know maybe it maybe it should be stressed through you know public education in schools you know or something I don't know
[speaker002:] I don't know well I know for for you know my son who is of voting age and
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] um he didn't want to he did he said he couldn't afford to be off from work because they did not pay pay them for being off from work and that's why he didn't register but
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum
[speaker002:] I I wonder if that was really you know the real reason and then I know my daughter uh well she's twenty now but I got her a Voter Registration and gave it to her
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] and I really don't think she ever turned it in but you know
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] I just don't think it's important to to some people and maybe thing you know circumstances may change and
[speaker001:] um-hum
[speaker002:] but to get them interested in doing it I don't know
[speaker001:] yeah I don't know really know what a solution would be I really don't you know like you say if you if you do everything but fill out the card for them that's really about all you can do uh-huh
[speaker002:] maybe maybe a real campaign and you know just go vote instead of uh
[speaker001:] um-hum yeah
[speaker002:] that maybe it you know just just to really really encourage people to to do it so maybe that's maybe that would help I'm sure
[speaker001:] um-hum um-hum yeah some sort of educational process I'm not quite sure what
[speaker002:] unless a lot of the people who who who are eligible to vote have no transportation and and and
[speaker001:] that's true yeah
[speaker002:] you know not able to get there or or for whatever reason so uh I don't know
[speaker001:] uh-huh um-hum yeah I don't know either it's kind of a tough question
[speaker002:] um-hum
[speaker001:] don't really know what a what a real solution would be for it except like you say some sort sort of an educational process
[speaker002:] yeah um-hum
[speaker001:] something to generate interest I don't know quite what
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] I really don't know well maybe some other genius can figure this out I don't know
[speaker002:] well maybe maybe we'll get this question again and can get some thoughts in the meantime if I had some you know think about it ahead of time
[speaker001:] maybe so yeah right yeah well it's nice talking to you
[speaker002:] nice talking to you Charles bye
[speaker001:] take care bye-bye