Washington voters approve gay marriage
Washington, Nov. 9 (ANI)
Voters in Washington have approved gay marriage, joining Maine and Maryland as the first states to pass same-sex marriage by popular vote.
The measure asked people to approve or reject a state law legalizing same-sex marriage that legislators passed earlier this year.
Washington is one of four states where voters were asked about the issue this election cycle.
Maryland and Maine residents approved gay marriage on Tuesday night, while Minnesota voters rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, Fox News reports.
According to the report, six other states, New York, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the District of Columbia already allow gay marriage.
But Maryland, Maine and Washington are the first to enact it by public vote. The other states' laws were enacted either by lawmakers or court rulings.
Gay couples in Washington could start picking up their marriage certificates and licenses from county auditor offices from December 6, a day after the election is certified.
According to the report, the law doesn't require religious organizations or churches to perform marriages, and it doesn't subject churches to penalties if they don't marry gay or lesbian couples.