Volunteers get preference for Obama tix

DENVER, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- Those hoping to attend Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech in Denver have a better chance if they volunteer for his campaign, officials say.

Campaign workers for the U.S. senator from Illinois, the Democratic Party's likely presidential nominee, say people hoping to score credentials for the Aug. 28 event will have a better shot at getting good seats at the 75,000-capacity Invesco Field football stadium if they indicated a willingness to volunteer, the Rocky Mountain News reported Wednesday.

The decision by the Democratic National Committee to move the event outdoors triggered a frenzy for free tickets to the event, but Democratic officials didn't reveal until this week that those who indicated on their ticket applications they'd be willing to volunteer would be taken care of first, the newspaper said.

But those who don't volunteer will still have a chance at the tickets, Matt Chandler, a spokesman for the Obama campaign, told the News.

"The vast majority of people who get credentials won't have to volunteer," he said.