SAME SEX LOTTO IN NEW YORK

New York City will hold a lottery for couples who want to get married on first day same-sex marriage will be legal, the mayor announced Tuesday. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said that more than 760 couples will be selected to get married on Sunday in the city clerk's five borough offices. Couples can register for the lottery online or by calling 311 in the 48 hours beginning noon Tuesday. Winners will be notified by Friday at noon.

The steps are being taken to keep the day special and to avoid situations in which people wait for hours only to be turned away.



Couples will not be given a specific time to arrive and should expect for the process to take about an hour. Couples who wish to get married somewhere else can enter the lottery and receive the license and waiver on Sunday, then leave for their ceremony.


For couples who do not land a spot through the lottery, the city clerk's office will continue expanded operations next week, bringing in extra judges and staff and staying open two extra hours each day, to handle the anticipated demand.


Starting Monday, those weddings will be performed first-come, first-served, but Bloomberg said he doesn't expect people to be camping out overnight to get married.



Officials said 2,661 couples have already preregistered for marriage licenses online, and they believe about half of them wish to be married on Sunday. In all, officials expect about 2,500 couples to enter the lottery.

Officials expect the majority of couples who enter the lottery to be local residents, although couples who live out of state can also apply.

Information from http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/07/19/national/main20080771.shtml