Phone booth in San Francisco lets people "call a Republican" in Texas
Tucked away in a corner along Valencia Street in San Francisco, a phone booth with a bright red phone stands tall.
"Hey, this is Chris calling from San Francisco, who am I speaking with?" Chris Renfro, who lives in San Francisco, said. "What's up, Shane? How are you doing?"
Renfro is talking to a stranger who lives in Abilene, Texas, on "The Party Line." The phone booth in front of Black Serum Tattoo shop states, "Call a Republican." And a phone booth in Abilene encourages Texans to "Call a Democrat" in San Francisco.
"Hey, see, we're already connected, dude," Renfro said on the phone.
Matter Neuroscience, a tech startup, recently launched the project. The company said the goal is to "find biomarkers for happiness."
Using data from the 2024 elections, the company wanted to connect people in one of the most liberal cities in America with people living in a conservative town of about 130,000 residents.
"As long as you're trying to be nice, respectful, and see people where they are in the world, it's pretty easy to have conversations with anyone," Renfro said.
CBS News Bay Area also tried picking up the phone as well, to see who would be on the other end of the line. KPIX reporter Sooji Nam ended up speaking with the owner of the book shop hosting the phone booth in Abilene.
"The point is to try to connect human to human, and it doesn't really matter what our opinions are. We could be different on a whole variety of topics, but at the end of the day, we share humanity," Arlene Kasselman, the owner of Seven and One Books, told CBS News Bay Area.
Talking about politics is encouraged, but it's also as simple as getting to know someone.
And for Renfro, he hopes that with more candid conversations, more people will be encouraged to visit the Bay one day.
"No matter what their views or beliefs are, I think it's fun to be able to just be a positive individual, share that energy across the country," he told CBS News Bay Area.
A spokesperson with Matter Neuroscience said they plan to keep the phone booth out in San Francisco for about 30 days, before figuring out which city to bring the phone to next.