Only 1,000 tickets were given out for the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, hosted at Hofstra University.
According to the Commission on Presidential Debates, those tickets were allocated to security, media, students and both campaigns. Even high-ranking officials can have a hard time getting in.
Nassau County Democratic Chairman Jay Jacobs had just one ticket.
"I keep telling people I keep waiting for Bill Clinton to call me for a ticket," Jacobs joked. "I mean everybody has called me for a ticket."
Hofstra junior Regan Clevenger will be in the room. She applied for one of the 400 volunteer positions and was chosen as a debate hall usher.
"I was actually driving, and I had to pull over because I was so excited," Clevenger says. "I almost couldn't contain myself."
University officials say around 8,000 students entered the lottery.
Jeo Dorcely, a junior, says she'd never been into politics until now.
"Just to see the whole political process happening right in front of me, it's really exciting," Dorcely says.
The event will mark the third consecutive presidential election in which Hofstra has hosted a debate.