Same gender marriage: Auditor expects business as usual after Ref. 74

Whitman County Auditor Eunice Coker said she expects “business as usual” as the new law allowing same sex marriages becomes the law of the state today, Dec. 6.

Referendum 74 was approved by Washington voters in the November general election. At a news conference Monday morning in the county commissioners’ chambers, Coker said she prefers the term “same gender” instead of “same sex.”

In Whitman County, Referendum 74 received a 50.56 approval rate, 8,485 to 8,300 in the last election county. The measure was under the 50 percent mark in the election night count.

“We don’t know what to expect in the next week or the next month as far as crowds or lines,” Coker said. “We do have the college here with a lot of single people and we’ve got a lot of counties who expect fallout.”

“I want to stress, other than more customers, it will be business as usual,” she said. “There will be nothing different other than longer lines. It will be first come, first served.”

Coker said marriage license applicants must bring several items with them when they apply for a license. Applicants must be over 18 years of age; bring parents’ full names including middle names; bring mother’s maiden name; know the state or country where parents were born; bring photo identification; have the names of two witnesses; date picked out for ceremony; be aware of the three-day waiting period, and pay a fee of $58. The license is valid for 60 days and only for ceremonies in Washington State.

Coker recommended applicants come to the office in the morning.

Coker said that the office not only does several types of business, it collects genealogy information.

“It’s awesome if 10 years from now you come looking for your family and you can find it,” she said.

The biggest issue of the new law counties had to deal with was revising the application form. A new form was finalized, but the state’s Department of Health did not plan to release it to the counties before Dec. 6. After a gay and lesbian rights group protested the delay, the health department relented and will release the new forms to the counties.

“I am very confident that Whitman County will be good to go,” Coker said.

Coker also said she can’t add staff or space because of budget restrictions, but she knows her office “will make do.”

She said she is not anticipating any protesters.

“I don’t think the citizens of Whitman County are that wild and crazy,” she commented.

She said she asked the sheriff and Colfax police chief to remember what’s happening that day just in case.

“I don’t want our customers harassed when they do their business,” she said.

Whitman County Auditor’s office hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.