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The Hottest Ticket in Town

US House of Representatives

Fifth District Congressman Tom Garrett is expanding the number of tickets available for his town hall at the University of Virginia on March 31st . But critics are not satisfied, and they plan an unusual protest later today. 

Tom Garrett had originally planned to meet with 135 constituents at the University of Virginia.  Now, he’s got a bigger space, expanding capacity by about a hundred people.  

The congressman has organized a lottery, asking those who want to attend to register on the university’s box office website before March 23rd at 5 p.m..  Winners will be notified on the 24th and must pick up their tickets the following week.  The arrangement doesn’t satisfy a group called Indivisible Charlottesville.  

“We’re glad that he’s listened to the voices of thousands of constituents who have demanded that he hold town halls," says Indivisible spokesman David Singerman, "but we still think that you shouldn’t have to win the lottery to meet with your representative."

The group also plans a protest between 1 and 2 p.m. today at Garrett’s Charlottesville office.  Members will plant 480 small flags – each one representing 50,000 people expected to lose health care coverage if the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act is approved.  

“Twenty-four million is a really big number and kind of hard to get your head around sometimes, and this will be a way of visualizing that," Singerman says.

Congressman Garrett has said he opposes the Republican plan, preferring a free market approach to providing medical services, but the Trump Administration has been lobbying him and other members of the so-called Freedom Caucus to support the measure that some now call Trumpcare.  

You can register for a chance to attend Congressman Garrett's Town Hall here.