Adult Basic Education teachers decided to share their right to vote with students from their advanced English as a Second Language class Tuesday.

Janice Mino, ABE coordinator, said students have been interested in how the process works.

"The students in the more advanced classes were more interested," Mino said.

Mino, advanced ESL teacher Sharon Hoefflin and coordinator assistant Carolina Salazar, brought eight students to Banfield Elementary to show them how the voting process worked.

Mino and Hoefflin picked up their ballots and showed the students where they fill them in. Mino pointed out that the party of each candidate is written under their names.

Mino and Hoefflin showed the students the supplemental ballot for the U.S. Senator's race and the part of the ballot where Sen. Paul Wellstone's named is listed, but crossed out.

"In most of the races I know who I want to vote for," Mino said. "If there's a race I don't know who I want to vote for, I've decided I don't vote and leave it blank."

Mino showed the students they could write in a candidate if they wanted to.

"The chance of them getting elected is not very good, though," Mino said.

Jose Luis Contreras said voting is similar in Mexico, except instead of filling in arrows, you mark your choice with an "x." He also said there are eight parties listed and their party logos are placed by the names.

Pablo Davila took a Mexican voter's card out of his wallet to show his classmates and teachers. The card resembles a driver's license and on the back, holes are punched to show that he voted.

Mino said she talked to a student who said many in Mexico do not vote because the system tends to be corrupt. By explaining and showing the process to students, Mino said the ABE program is "trying to say we don't think that's the way it happens in the U.S."

Cari Quam can be reached at 434-2235 or by e-mail at cari.quam@austindailyherald.com