Washington – Schumer Announces He Will Hold Statewide Internet Lottery For Tickets To President Obama’s Second Inauguration

Washington – U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that his office will be conducting a statewide lottery to distribute inaugural tickets to New Yorkers who request them. The office has received requests for tickets from constituents across New York City and Long Island who are trying to experience a piece of American history by seeing President Obama sworn in for his second term as President.

Schumer’s office will distribute tickets during a random drawing that will be held on December 14, 2012. The deadline to submit requests will be December 13, 2012 with requests ONLY being accepted through Schumer’s website. Tickets for the swearing-in ceremony are only provided through Congressional offices and are free of charge.

“I am thrilled to see the early excitement from New Yorkers all over the state who would like to attend the momentous swearing in of President Obama for his second term,” said Schumer. “The statewide lottery will provide hundreds of New Yorkers the opportunity to experience history as they attend the President’s swearing-in ceremony outside of the United States Capital. As a chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, I am glad that several New York businesses will be among those providing top-of-the-line refreshments and entertainment at the 57th Presidential Inauguration, and now New Yorkers will have the opportunity to enter a lottery through my office to receive tickets to this historic event.”

To enter, New Yorkers should go to http://www.schumer.senate.gov/Contact/inauguration.cfm, and fill out the entry form (due to volume, requests cannot be accepted by phone). Entrants will be asked to submit their name and address. Two tickets will be given to each lottery winner, and winners will be notified personally after the lottery is held. Schumer noted that only the names of the winners could be made public.

President Obama will take his oath of office on the west front of the United States Capitol. The oath of office, prescribed in Article II, Section I of the United States Constitution is as follows: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” The oath is administered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Following the swearing-in ceremony, President Obama will give his second Inaugural address. The custom of delivering an address on Inauguration Day started with George Washington’s inauguration on April 30, 1789. After taking his oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall in New York City, Washington proceeded to the Senate chamber where he read a speech before members of Congress and other dignitaries. His second Inauguration took place in Philadelphia on March 4, 1793, in the Senate chamber of Congress Hall. Washington gave the shortest Inaugural address on record, 135 words, before repeating the oath of office. The tradition of delivering an Inaugural address has continued to this day.

This year, Schumer was chosen to serve as the chair of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) which oversees the swearing in ceremonies. Members of JCCIC are appointed by the Vice President and the Speaker of the House.

Additional information can be found at Senator Schumer’s website at www.schumer.senate.gov or the JCCIC website at www.inaugural.senate.gov