Andrew Cuomo during a campaign rally in front of the...

Andrew Cuomo during a campaign rally in front of the Westchester County Center. (Oct. 8, 2010) Credit: Charles Eckert

ALBANY - People wanting to attend Andrew Cuomo's first State of the State speech on Jan. 5 have until Saturday night to register for the ticket lottery, the governor-elect announced Thursday.

To request a ticket to the speech in the Albany Convention Center, go to nystateofstate2011.com. The registration deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Saturday.

Cuomo changed the speech venue to the convention center from the Assembly chamber to accommodate up to 1,000 members of the public. A lottery will determine who receives tickets, he said.

Governors use the State of the State to outline their policy initiatives for the year as presidents do in the State of the Union address.

Leaders of the legislative majorities - State Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) - also will address the convention center crowd, which will total about 2,500. Cuomo's inclusion of the leaders and change in speech venue are firsts in state history.

From celebrating America's 250th birthday to a new ride at Adventureland, NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your inside look at Newsday's summer FunBook. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp, Kendall Rodriguez, Drew Singh; Anthony Florio, Randee Daddona, Morgan Campbell, Debbie Egan-Chin

Get ready for sun and fun with NewsdayTV's summer FunBook special! From celebrating America's 250th birthday to a new ride at Adventureland, NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your inside look at Newsday's summer FunBook.

From celebrating America's 250th birthday to a new ride at Adventureland, NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your inside look at Newsday's summer FunBook. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp, Kendall Rodriguez, Drew Singh; Anthony Florio, Randee Daddona, Morgan Campbell, Debbie Egan-Chin

Get ready for sun and fun with NewsdayTV's summer FunBook special! From celebrating America's 250th birthday to a new ride at Adventureland, NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano and Newsday lifestyle editor Meghan Giannotta have your inside look at Newsday's summer FunBook.

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