I mailed my absentee ballot yesterday and, just like you, Andie, I despise the recorded political calls, some of which even end up on my machine, if I don't answer the phone.
I am have a dial-up ISP, so when I am on line my phone is "busy", so I just stay on line unless I want to make a call.
Most friends and relatives have email, so they can get in touch with me.

Aargghhh! All those calls! Tiresome, aren't they? And there is no way to escape them.

I've started telling all the party reps that I disagree with all the party stances and plan to vote against all the party incumbents. Funny, they don't call much anymore. (lol)

Doing what firstkim did. I get them mostly from my registered party and the last one was a survey. Instead of hanging up on them, I told them I'd be glad to answer. They listed three of their candidates and asked if I'd vote for them. The answers 1) I dunno, maybe 2) NOT 3) no way on earth

I mostly get pre-recorded messages, so I can't talk back. But even it I get a live person, I generally just say I'm busy and hang up anyway. So the whole thing is little more than an annoyance.
But if I did speak to a live person, I would be honest about my preferences.

The live people don't call around here. It's one recorded phone call after another, which drives me nuts. The live people, I can deal with, usually telling them that it's a scam that they've made themselves exempt from the no call list & how they are more irritating than any person selling aluminum siding.

A real PITA, that bunch!!

Compared to that, it's paradise over here (Germany).
Absolutely nobody - may it be corporate and/or political business - is allowed to make 'cold calls': They need your permission to do so (before they call you - not afterwards!). Days before election day, all ads are stopped, no more broadcasting allowed. So there's peace & silence allover the country.

I love the early voting.Monday I drove a few minutes to a Methodist church in a nearby town and parked right at the door.If I had voted here in Tyler it would have meant going downtown and searching for a parking space and walking for blocks. My knee can't do that. And yes the phone calls are awful. This year ones I've received have been a recording.No one to complain to.

I got two phone calls yesterday, one from Paul Newman and one from Laura Bush. Guess who I hung up on?

Paul's a busy guy - called me too.

We've been away for 4 days. 9 recorded political messages on the machine when we got back. Delete, delete, delete, whoever they were from.

We seriously discussed getting an unlisted number. I'm only answering my cellphone for the next week, and letting the machine screen everything else.

Well shoot! All I get is calls from the Lieutenant Gov. & the Mayor. I might just listen to Paul's melodious voice, even though it is recorded.

Well our televison has a mute button so I amuse myself by pushing it and then saying what i think the commercials should say. e.g. "See all these policemen they are coming to arrest me but since I have all these law books I will just throw the book at them." Or "this is the star wars missile defence system, I was playing with it and hit the wrong button and wiped out my opponent."

But for phone calls i just hang up.