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Remember that ringing phone the week before the election? There was often an actor or politician on the other end, endorsing a favorite candidate in a crackling recorded message.

Those "robo-calls" would go the way of the answering machine if U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx has her way.

Foxx, a first-time Republican from Banner Elk, wants to allow people to opt out of political robo-calls when they sign up for a do-not-call registry. She has introduced legislation that would make the Federal Trade Commission revise its regulations accordingly.

Foxx said she heard voters complain about the calls, saying they were annoying.

"As candidates, the last thing we should do is discourage people from voting," Foxx said.

Foxx made her own personal calls, or had volunteers call on her behalf. She conducted one automated poll on the issues in the summer of 2003, according to her office. But she did not use recorded advocacy messages.

No word yet on how popular this idea is on Capitol Hill.