Pr. George's Prepares to Issue Same-Sex Marriage Licenses

Gov. Martin O'Malley on Thursday signed a proclamation certifying the results of the same-sex marriage ballot question that voters passed in November, according to Raquel Guillory, spokeswoman for the governor. By law it goes into effect on Jan. 1, she said. 

Montgomery County and Baltimore city will begin issuing marriage licenses on Thursday, although they will not go into effect until Jan. 1, according to WAMU. But Prince George's County must solve a computer glitch before it can issue them, said David Billings III, Ph.D., chief deputy clerk of the court for Prince George's. 

The county is not required to be ready until 48 hours before Jan. 1, but it will issue licenses ahead of time if its computers are ready, according to Billings. That may be as early as next week, he said. Though Billings made no promises on the date, he did say the county is working feverishly on preparing the computers.

"We will be ready on time," he said.

The Prince George's County Courthouse annex will not be available for civil marriages until Wednesday Jan. 2, since Jan. 1 is a holiday, Billings said. But the county may start issuing licenses dated for Jan. 1. ahead of then, depending on its computer situation.

Couples with a license who want to be wed on New Year's Day can still get married by a clergy member, judge or any person who is qualified to marry, according to Billings.