The unhappily married would be stuck with each other under a proposal given clearance to try to get on the California ballot. Secretary of State Debra Bowen says the proponent of the proposed constitutional amendment may begin collecting petition signatures for his measure.

John Marcotte must collect signatures of 694,354 registered voters – the number equal to 8 percent of the total votes cast for governor in the 2006 gubernatorial election – in order to qualify it for the ballot. He has until Dec. 9.

If he’s successful and if the measure were to be approved by voters and survive the usual gauntlet of lawsuits, the California Constitution would be changed to eliminate the ability of married couples to get divorced in California.

It would, however, preserve the ability of married couples to seek an annulment. Without having to handle divorce cases, the state’s court system might save hundreds of millions of dollars every year, according to estimates from the Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance.

Mr. Marcotte is the force behind a group calling itself “rescuemarriage.org.” Its website described Mr. Marcotte as a “concerned Christian and political activist … who felt strongly that Prop 8 did not go far enough in protecting traditional marriage.” Prop 8, now before the courts, was approved by California voters to define marriage as that between a man and a woman.