New York City will hold a lottery for couples who want to get married Sunday—the first day same-sex marriage will be legal in the state. Mayor Bloomberg said more than 760 couples will be selected to get married that day in the city clerk's five borough offices. Couples can register for the lottery online or by phone, and winners will be notified by noon Friday. The city is doing so to make sure people don't wait in line hours, only to be turned away.
"We want to make sure that Sunday is not like a trip to motor vehicles," says the City Council speaker. 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. For couples who don’t land a spot through the lottery, their weddings will be performed on a first-come, first-served basis starting Monday. (More same-sex couples stories.)