Oklahoma: State Rep. Todd Russ Seeks To Eliminate All Marriage Licenses In The State

Oklahoma State Rep. Todd Russ

Oklahoma state Rep. Todd Russ has introduced legislation - House Bill 1125 - that would end marriage licenses altogether in the state:

Under his plan, a religious official would sign a couple’s marriage certificate, which would then be filed with the clerk. Marriages would no longer be performed by judges. If a couple did not have a religious official to preside over their wedding, they could file an affidavit of common law marriage.

“Marriages are not supposed to be a government thing anyway,” he said Wednesday.

Since marriage equality came to Oklahoma last October, Oklahomans For Equality says 3,165 marriage licenses have been issued to same-sex couples.

Same-sex marriage is currently legal in 36 states and the District of Columbia.