Given the task definition and input, reply with output. In this task, you're given the title of a five-sentence story, the first four sentences, and two options for the fifth sentence as a and b. Your job is to pick the sentence option that seamlessly connects with the rest of the story, indicating your choice as 'a' or 'b'. If both sentences are plausible, pick the one that makes more sense.

Title: Absentee Ballot. Sentence 1: I am a permanent vote-by-mail voter. Sentence 2: I used to always go to a polling place. Sentence 3: Until one year when my work held me very late on election day. Sentence 4: It was an election that really mattered to me. Choices: a. Richard soldiered on year-round, believing his company to be noble. b. I figured this way I can never miss another vote.

b