Submitted by Fox First at Ten on December 3rd
SPOKANE, Wash. - With the passage of Referendum 74, same gender couples will be able to apply for marriage licenses beginning on Thursday, December 6, 2012. Marriage licenses are issued in the Spokane County Auditor's Office - Recording. Couples planning to be married on December 12th (12/12/12) must apply no later than Friday, December 7, 2012.
Where: Spokane County Courthouse, 1st floor (Customer Service Center)
1116 W. Broadway Avenue, Spokane, WA
(Courthouse doors open at 7:00 a.m., with security screening into the main hallway beginning at 7:30 a.m.)
When: Thursday, December 6, 2012
8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Friday, December 7, 2012 – business hours extended one day only!
8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
What to bring:
$58 cash or check (no credit or debit cards accepted) Identification indicating age (state-issued photo ID preferred)
Requirements:
18 years of age or older (17 years of age if parent/guardian consent) No current spouse No current registered domestic partner, unless it's the other party to this marriage
Questions about Same Gender Marriage
The Auditor's Office staff can only answer questions related to the marriage application process. We cannot answer questions related to the effects of marriage, such as legal name change, impact on benefits or recognition in other states. Legal Voice, a nonprofit entity, has developed a series of questions and answers that may be useful to same gender couples. The link to their FAQ is
http://legalvoice.org/news/documents/QAMarriageforSame-SexCouplesinWA-11-29-12.pdf
MORE DETAILS:
Ten same-sex couples in Thurston County will be among the first to receive their marriage licenses right as the new law allowing gay marriage in Washington takes effect on Thursday morning. Thurston County Auditor Kim Wyman held a lottery on Monday to pick from 15 couples that had sent in a request to receive their license at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. King County, home to Seattle, already planned to start issuing licenses at that time. Last month, 54 percent of voters approved Referendum 74, which asked people to approve or reject a state law legalizing same-sex marriage that legislators passed earlier this year. That law was signed by Gov. Chris Gregoire but was on hold pending the outcome of the election.
