Erin Richards

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

In an unusual form of public protest, the co-creator of the game Cards Against Humanity is mailing potatoes to the office of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) until he holds an in-person town hall meeting.

A Twitter account for the off-color card game last week directed people to johnsonpotato.com, where one can donate $5 to have a potato with his or her name on it mailed to Johnson's Milwaukee office.

The action is in response to Cards Against Humanity learning that Johnson's office sent a "cease and desist" letter to one constituent who repeatedly called to voice his concerns.

"Legally, we’re not allowed to call Senator Johnson a cruel idiot who doesn’t understand how health insurance works. But we are allowed to mail thousands of potatoes to his office demanding that he listen to his constituents and hold a town hall meeting," the website says.

CBS 58 posted a response from Johnson's office last week stating that the senator has previously held both in-person and telephone town halls. The statement also suggested people donate directly to a food pantry instead of sending potatoes.

Johnson spokesman Ben Voelkel said Monday that no potatoes had been received by the senator's office, but that any that do arrive will be donated to food banks.

Since President Donald Trump's election, Johnson and some other Republican federal lawmakers have avoided traditional in-person town halls in their home districts as backlash from constituents who don't agree with Trump has intensified. That's not the case with all Republican lawmakers; Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner has held town halls anyway, and faced tough questions Saturday in Delafield.

RELATED: Things got testy at Sensenbrenner's feisty town hall meeting

It's not the first time Cards Against Humanity has launched unusual mailing campaigns. The company recently sent board games about Adolf Hitler to U.S. senators. And back in 2014, it allowed people to buy and ship boxes of bull feces to poke fun at holiday consumerism.