The marriage laws in California allow for divorce and annulment. Though both approaches put a legal end to the union, annulment in CA totally erases it from the record. The way annulment in CA works is that it asks the couple or one of the spouses to explain how their marriage was illegal or invalid, and if they can prove this, then the marriage is viewed as having never occurred. Anyone hoping to end their marriage through annulment in CA is going to have to provide proof of their claim of illegitimacy, and if they cannot, then they will have to use the traditional divorce process. Currently, the state recognizes bigamy, blood relation, underage, force or duress, impotency, lack of consent, and mental illness as reasons a marriage can be viewed as void. The individual or couple, however, will have to submit documentary evidence to the courts if they want their claims accepted and their marriage annulled.