16 same-sex couples get first marriage licenses in Olympia

History was made a few ticks of the clock after midnight at the county courthouse today in Olympia. Cheers erupted after Thurston County auditor Kim Wyman authorized marriage licenses to 16 same-sex couples in Olympia who said in unison: "I do." The couples are among the first legally entitled to wed in Washington state, thanks for voter passage of Referendum 74 on Nov. 6. Several couples plan Sunday weddings, the first day the new law allows, after Gov. Chris Gregoire and Secretary of State Sam Reed certified the election results on R-74 in an afternoon ceremony in Gregoire's conference room Wednesday. Wyman, who is secretary of state-elect, timed the event at 12:01 to be on par with a similar event that drew hundreds of applicants in King County. She said Thurston County Superior Court Judge Chris Wickham and at least two other judges are expecting to be available Sunday at the courthouse to perform weddings.