If you're a Marylander who wants to be at President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration and you've sent your request to your two U.S. senators or congressional representative, good luck."We've stopped taking requests," said Lisa Wright, Rep. Roscoe Bartlett's spokeswoman.
Bartlett's office, like that of Sens. Ben Cardin and Barbara Mikulski, has received thousands of inquiries looking for tickets.
"The overwhelming demand exceeding supply is not new," Wright said. "It's what's happened for every inaugural."
But this inaugural, which will see the nation's first black man ascend to the presidency, is unlike any other. Hundreds of thousands, possibly millions, are being drawn to the region for the Jan. 20 event.
Mikulski's office has received more than 35,000 individual requests.
Staff members are directing inquirers to a ticket request form on the senator's website: www.mikulski.senate.gov/Inauguration/index.cfm.
Cardin Communications Director Susan Sullam said Senate members got less than 400 tickets each to dole out; House members got 198, Wright said, and recipients will be chosen through a lottery.
Tickets are primarily for standing areas on the National Mall.
In an e-mail that went out Friday, Cardin said his office had received almost 55,000 requests.
As with Mikulski's office, names would be chosen by random drawing for Cardin's tickets. Notification of availability will go out sometime in January, Cardin's letter states.
"For those who do not receive congressional tickets to the inauguration, sections of the National Mall and inaugural parade route will be open to the public and will not require tickets," he said.
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