Democrats think they smell victory. They've posted the final version of their health care reform bill online, and plan to vote Sunday.
As the debate reaches what appears to be its final hours, many of you at home are scrambling to get your voices heard. Phone calls and e-mails are overwhelming congressional offices, to the point that many can't keep up.
At Congressman Bob Goodlatte's Lynchburg office, one staff member is handling hundreds of calls about health care.
"The number of calls coming in is enormous. They're saying 40 to 50-thousand an hour," said Goodlatte.
Congressional offices are getting buried under the volume of calls.
"The mailbox is full and there is not enough space to leave a message."
That's the message News7's Tim Saunders got when he tried calling the Martinsville office for Congressman Tom Perriello. He has four district offices, some are still taking calls.
"Please be advised we are experiencing a high volume of calls and apologize for any inconvenience."
But not everyone's getting a live person.
"The phone lines have just not been able to accommodate the number of calls we're receiving," said Jessica Barba, press secretary for Congressman Tom Perriello.
Barba says her office is working overtime to hear comments from every person that calls. The problem is, not everyone that's calling is a constituent.
"We're getting a lot of callers from out of state. We're trying to get them off the phone as quickly as possible so we can open the lines for constituents," said Barba.
Both Perriello and Goodlatte are using every avenue possible to hear comments.
"Communicating with folks on Facebook, Twitter," said Goodlatte.
And just because you're not getting through, Goodlatte says don't assume Congress isn't listening to those who are.
"I am keeping close tabs on what types of communication we're receiving," said Goodlatte.
Both Congressmen say the best way to leave a phone comment is by calling their district offices and not their Washington office.
