Burr: No longer taking requests

bkrueger — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:06:58 -0500

U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Winston-Salem Republican, has received more than 6,000 requests for tickets to the presidential inauguration swearing-in ceremony – a number he can’t possibly fill.

So the office has closed its request line, reports Barb Barrett.

“We’re encouraging people, if they want to come up, the (National) Mall is open. Our office is open,” said Burr’s spokesman, Chris Walker.

Each Senate office is expected to receive several hundred tickets, though the exact number isn’t yet known. Walker said the tickets will be distributed to constituents on a first-come, first-served basis from calls that already have come in.

Meanwhile, Senator-elect Kay Hagan, a Greensboro Democrat, is receiving requests at a special e-mail address, tickets@kayhagan.com, said her spokeswoman, Colleen Flanagan. The e-mail address also will be used to inform constituents about inauguration details, Flanagan said.

Both senators encourage residents to call their individual House members, though those request lines also are swamped.

U.S. Rep. Brad Miller, a Raleigh Democrat, has received a thousand e-mails and hundreds of calls, said his spokeswoman, LuAnn Canipe. The office will use a lottery to pass out its tickets, with a maximum of two per person.

Tickets for the swearing-in ceremony are free, but they are available only through individual congressional offices.

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Burr: No longer taking requests