Tickets available for State of State speech

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.