King Co. issuing same-sex marriage licenses at midnight on Dec. 6
SEATTLE (AP) - King County Executive Dow Constantine will open the county Recorder's Office in Seattle early - just after midnight - on Dec. 6 to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
"I don't want couples to wait a minute longer than legally necessary to get the rights that voters have recognized," Constantine said in a news release announcing the extended hours.
Constantine says he'll be waiting to sign the first license, making King County the first jurisdiction in the nation to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, based on voter approval.
Voters in Washington, Maryland and Maine all approved gay marriage initiatives last week, but laws in Maryland and Maine will not take effect until January.
Once they have their license in hand, all couples in Washington still have to wait three days for a marriage ceremony.
More Information:
King County Marriage License Information
"I don't want couples to wait a minute longer than legally necessary to get the rights that voters have recognized," Constantine said in a news release announcing the extended hours.
Constantine says he'll be waiting to sign the first license, making King County the first jurisdiction in the nation to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, based on voter approval.
Voters in Washington, Maryland and Maine all approved gay marriage initiatives last week, but laws in Maryland and Maine will not take effect until January.
Once they have their license in hand, all couples in Washington still have to wait three days for a marriage ceremony.
More Information:
King County Marriage License Information
In a time of great economic distress, why is the County allowing an overtime expenditure of this sort to accommodate the gay community? Shouldn't they be forced to wait til the registrar's office opens at 8 am the next day? How many hetero couples will be allowed to get their licenses fulfilled at this hour? I find it an egregious waste of taxpayer money...
Yay!
Yay! Now everyone who is married can be equally miserable (wink wink). I, myself, am looking forward to ministering my buddies' wedding this summer. At least if one of them is in hospital, they each have full rights to visit and make decisions. Equal rights are awesome!
This is a horrible, Â horrible disgrace. Â Most of you are happy about this. Â We are seeing this country fall apart little by little from the generals fooling around with high society women and collecting $200,000 pensions to same sex marriage. Â All sexual deviancy is bad for this country. Â Â
@HullenbeckCowl Ignorance is also bad for this country. Time to pull your head out of the sand... it isn't 1842 anymore. Times have changed. Gays are getting married, marijuana is going to be available in stores, and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it except complain.
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FYI, generals have fooled around with high society women, hookers, and have had mistresses for ALL OF TIME. Sexual deviancy isn't new! The only difference is now every little thing is on TV or makes the news. He has served this country for most his life and doesn't deserve to have his pension taken away for a personal affair. Get real.
 @HullenbeckCowl I'm sorry that being an American is hard but the values of this country and our constitution call for equal treatment for all and that we are not a national that legislates any particular religion.
@HullenbeckCowl dispite the generals affair, he still earned his retirement with decades of service to the nation.
 @HullenbeckCowl You need to go back to your church and pray that Jesus, a man living with twelve other dudes, wasn't gay. He might smite you for your hate-mongering.
 @HullenbeckCowl Your type was saying the same BS when the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing. It looked idiotic then, and it looks idiotic now.
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Might I suggest you move to Mississippi? I'm originally from there, and I can tell you there's no shortage of sexual repression (although highest rate of porn usage, along with Utah's, "strangely"), homophobia, racism, sexism, or--most importantly--religious fundamentalism. Praise Jesus. If you can overlook the abject poverty, the high infant mortality rate, rampant teen pregnancy, poor life expectancy, worst health care in the nation, and general atmosphere of depression, I'm sure you'll love it and fit right in. Truly, it is your god's country.
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Alternatively, build a time machine and go to the 1700s.
hmmmmm.... Â thou doth protest too much methinks...
To all of those complaining about the overtime that will be paid, $8 of the $64 for each license goes to the King County general fund. I imagine that this will be such a popular time to get marriage licenses that they'll easily break even.
Our society is doomed. Enjoy it while you can folks because it is all going to come crashing down.Â
 @jdoll88 ahahahahhahahhahaahahahahaha you are silly.
 @jdoll88 roll of the eyes
Right back at you! Eat, drink and be merry.Â
Pander away constantine. Special treatment of any part of the citizenry is buying votes. You learned well from obama.
 @komoispropaganda You call opening early to accomodate people on what will surely be a busy day special treatment? I call it common sense.Â
 @LeftWing  @komoispropaganda Of COURSE you do. Opening "early" for the state would be about 7:00 in the morning. Opening at MIDNIGHT to cater to a particular group? Yea......special treatment. Come a LITTLE bit right.....where REAL people live.
 @quidproquo  @Wolfen  @LeftWing  @komoispropaganda Stores open at midnight because there is a demand and also...wait for it...they are in a for profit business. Unlike stores, these services are set at a set fee due to the approximated cost of the service not with a 100% built in market up. Increase the cost of the service and you now are at a net loss.
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Plain and simple this is a propaganda move to be the first one to sign a license that has been voted in by the people.
@Wolfen. yeah and be just like one of your wingnuts akin's? no thank you.
 @Wolfen  @LeftWing  @komoispropaganda Why do stores open at midnight for black friday in some places? Because there is a demand.Â
 @komoispropaganda He already bought em'...now it's pay back time. Ther will be more than enough spare change to reassure his reelection next run and/or his run for Governor in 2020.
Yay! Happy for my friends who can now marry. Who cares if overtime is paid, this has been a long time coming and is a time to celebrate! I asked my friend, who has been in a committed relationship for over 30 years, if he and his partner will marry (they are both in their 60's) and he replied, "Hell no, we would be divorced within a month!". Love the fact that they can though...:)
 @k2bk2b You pay it then, and not the tax payers
 @Just my say We are talking about a day of overtime here. Big deal. If 10 people have to stay late and work those longer hours, the extra expense for overtime pay and the cost of the building staying open later will most likely be under $3000.00. If the office were staying open late to accommodate extra demand for any other reason, I am sure you would not even be commenting on this thread -- it wouldn't have even crossed your mind. For that reason you do sound like a hypocrite.
 @Just my say  @k2bk2b Why shouldn't the tax payers foot the bill? They had no problem denying gay people legal rights all these years. Payback's a b***! Â
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(Oh by the way, those evil gay people pay taxes too)
@Just my say @LeftWing @k2bk2b you are absolutely wrong. If you click the link in the article, and read the actual release from Constantine's office, you'll see that the office is actually going to be open longer hours in anticipation of the demand. So, being open early the first day actually serves more than just a symbolic purpose. Besides, everything the recorder's office does, they charge for. I would think most, if not all, of their expenses are covered by the fees they charge.Â
 @LeftWing  @k2bk2b If you think they are evil, that's on you. I do not think that tax payers should pay for this special treatment. Picking up a license at midnight will not mean you get married any faster, there is no reason to open at midnight. It is a waste of money.
                                                          R E J O I C E !!!
So we are going to pay County workers overtime to accommodate this one little segment of society....
Who is next? Will the County pay an office worker if I want to get a building permit at 2:00 a.m.??
Will they open 1:30 a.m. for a shop keeper who needs his business license to open his pot shop...are we going to hear Dow say, "I don't want shop keepers to wait a minute longer than legally necessary to get the rights that voters have recognized,"??
Will Dow open the open the county Recorder's Office at 3:00 am and pay a clerk overtime to accommodate a straight couple who want a marriage license??
This is nothing more than a PC show....they'll probably have someone dressed as Elmo to greet the happy couple's as they come through the door.
 @Controlled-Insanity Do you know thousands of people who are going to queue up to get those licenses? That is the only reason the offices are opening early.
@Controlled-Insanity. Special treatment, small segment of society, blah blah blah. Yep only think of yourself. what a jerk.
@Controlled-Insanity Did they just pass a law that you can finally build a building after living in a tent all your life?Â
 @Controlled-Insanity "So we are going to pay County workers overtime to accommodate this one little segment of society"
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Who cares? Nobody said heteros can't get married at that same time. They're simply opening early to accomodate large numbers of people applying for marriage licenses that day. Seems like common sense to me.Â
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The anniversary of D-Day.... how fitting. Well, as you can see, I did NOT vote for the law that allows same sex marriage. That being said, I do have to say that I'm thinking this article was poorly phrased in that I'm feeling fairly certain that they will be issuing marriage licenses to anyone that shows up - same sex or heterosexual. Various people mentioned below that they don't disagree with same sex marriage but don't feel they should get special treatment. While I do think it's ridiculous and a waste of taxpayer money to open in the middle of the night just so King County can go on record as being the first county to issue a same sex marriage license, I also feel fairly confident, as I stated above, that they would not refuse to issue a license for anyone that shows up and has the proper documentation needed to obtain a license.
@justathought UMMM D day was JUNE 6th, not December 6th. Perhaps you are trying to draw a parallel to Pearl Harbor? Either way, you sure prove that you have no education or ability to reason or comprehend or a leg to stand on to criticize the authors of the article. just a thought =)
@EMDF9A I stand corrected! I suppose that's what I get for trying to make a bad joke. As you correctly surmised, I had meant to say Pearl Harbor which, as you no doubt realize, was on December 7th, not 6th. Couldn't even get the date right on the event I was trying to use! I stand behind the point I was trying to make, though, which is that they're no doubt willing to issue licenses for all couples that show up during those early hours, no matter whether they are same sex couples or not. I bet a few adventurous heterosexual couples will show up as well. (Just gotta say... the funniest thing about my mistake is that June 6th, the real date of D-day, is my parents' anniversary as well as my father-in-law's birthday and my nephew's birthday!)
If I understand this right, people will have to work hours that they  do not work, to hand out a marriage license, and they can not get married for three days after. Why even hand them out at midnight, run normal hours, end result is still the same. Marriage is not about who gets their license first, its about so much more.
Not worth the paper they are printed on in the eyes of many,
 @bille57182 Kinda like interracial marriage licenses too huh?Â
@LeftWing @bille57182 I think he was making a joke about marriage in general (I hope?). Either that, or he is just a d-bag...!
I cannot believe what I am seeing here. What is wrong with you people today that you can't just celebrate something good that is happening in the world. People in this state will be free to marry who they want. That is a win pure and simple. What's with the sour grapes?Â
Also, I don't see anything posted about them being given out for free. So I assume that the cost of the license itself will help offset the hours for the employees who will be there.Â
 @sure thing I do not see that they will be charging an extra charge for them to off set the overtime that the county employees will be paid. I think the issue most people have is that opening a government office during hours they are normally to be closed, will cost money ( that is tax revenue) and has been approved by whom? Mr. Constantine himself?A kind gesture? yes....a sound decision for our tax dollar...I don't think so.
 @Andrew Webster  @aintno1special  @sure  @jowsuf I figured double time as worst case scenario...plus I didn't account for the other expenditures...power etc. Att he end of the day time and a half double time...still a net loss on a set cost/service.
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I see a lot of people saying "but they be making extra revenue" To this I say, there is no way that this is about extra revenue. All these "extra licenses" they will be handing out would be handed out regardless, so to extend hours (which increase costs), is not for extra revenue. I would not take issue with this if they actually charged $96.00 instead of the normal $64.00 and call it a "expedited" or "convenience" charge to account for the extra costs going into these extended hours.
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I know many people who work for King County and all of them have people they are working with that are getting laid off or their jobs have been terminated due to budget cuts. Now we have an elected official making a decision that will end up costing more $ the government supposedly does not have. I personally find it irresponsible.
@aintno1special @sure thing @jowsuf how is this double time? Overtime is time and a half. If you are paying double time to your employees for OT, ummm...where do I fill out an application? :-)
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Seriously though, If you read the press release from Constantine's office, the recorder's office is going to be open extended hours a few days, in anticipation of the extra volume. extra volume means extra revenue. $$$. Seems pretty simple to me.
 @sure thing  @jowsuf It won't be a straight money suck at all...but the government operates on a fee/man hour basis. You take a license that has a $64.00 fee and now double the man hour charge (double time for overtime) and this has become a net loss. This is purely a media and political move (possibly a genuine gesture, but I have my doubts on politician's motives). In Dow's "media release" it highlights that this will make"...King County the first jurisdiction in the nation to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, based on voter approval." Not what I would call a business decision.
 @jowsuf Well if making a point is now called complaining then yes I am complaining. As I see it paying overtime is nonessential.
 @aintno1special   If you're a business owner, you'd realize that a little extra overtime pay is worth a lot of extra revenue. There won't be a loss of anything. You're complaining for the sake of complaining.
 @aintno1special  @sure thing I think they were just expecting a large crowd for the licenses and trying to lessen the impact on the regular daily customers.
 @jowsuf  @sure thing So we as the payers of the revenue shouldn't sweat the small expenditures? Hmmm not the most logical thought process I have seen...but again I am an owner of businesses and always aware of the bottom line. Like I said a kind gesture, but considering King County is struggling financially already...even a little strain is an impact!
 @jowsuf  @aintno1special I DON'T think it will impact it in any way. What I was saying is that the office being open at a different time won't just be a straight money suck. They will be taking in revenue. I am all for it being open.Â
 @aintno1special  @sure thing The way I look at it, everyone who gets that overtime pay for that one night will likely go out and spend it on luxuries at local businesses (or local franchises of national chains), helping the general economy and returning some of it in the form of sales tax, adding to revenue for whatever stores, etc, etc.
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So relax and don't look for things to whinge about that aren't that big a deal when you really take the longer view.
 @aintno1special  @sure thing Do you actually think that the amount these workers will be paid in overtime is collectively enough for it to impact you or any part of the system in any way? Use your head.