AP Photo Kentucky governor strikes clerks' names from marriage licenses

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin on Tuesday issued an executive order requiring the state to omit county clerks' names on marriage licenses as part of efforts to safeguard residents’ religious convictions.

Bevin ordered the state’s archives department to issue amended marriage license forms, the Associated Press reports. The order, one of five introduced Tuesday, was the first the Republican governor has issued since entering office.


The measure was pushed forward after Kim Davis, a clerk in Rowan County who gained the support of GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, served five days in jail for refusing to grant marriage licenses to gay couples.

"Today, I took action to uphold several commitments I made during my campaign so that we can implement real solutions that will help the people of Kentucky," Bevin said in a press release.

In September, an ABC News/Washington post poll indicated that 74 percent of Americans said that legal equality should prevail over religious beliefs.

The order is expected to go into effect immediately.

