TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Organizers of the Republican National Convention are looking for 7,500 local volunteers to help welcome the thousands of people who will come to the area for the political event.

The host committee already has a list of about 2,000 people interested in volunteering and is registering more online at ww.2012tampa.com/get-involved . As a comparison, about 6,400 volunteers were used in Tampa for Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.

Volunteers have to be 18 or older by June, have a driver's license or other government-issued photo ID and undergo a background check.

Volunteers will not be issued convention credentials or tickets to events. Once registered, volunteers will go to a one-hour orientation this summer.