Alabama voters approve three amendments, narrowly pass fourth in Nov. 3 midterms

Alabama already holds the distinction of having the country’s longest constitution, a governing document whose word count well surpasses 300,000 words. After Tuesday’s general election, that count is set to grow even longer: voters comfortably approved three of the four amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot, while a fourth passed by the narrowest of margins, according to results compiled by the Montgomery Advertiser.

The sweep matters because Alabama’s constitution is amended constantly — hundreds of times since its 1901 adoption — precisely because it is so detailed that even routine governance requires new language. These four measures, covering everything from the lieutenant governor’s office to the national anthem in classrooms, will now be woven into that already sprawling text.

Amendment 1: A special election for the lieutenant governor, 65.9% to 34.1%

The clearest mandate of the night went to Amendment 1, which restructures the lieutenant governor’s office. With 79% of votes reporting, 65.9% of voters said yes and only 34.1% said no. The measure requires a special election to fill a vacancy in the lieutenant governor’s seat if one occurs in the first two years of a term. It also lets the legislature set salaries for the lieutenant governor and legislative officers through a joint resolution, and requires lawmakers’ travel expenses to be authorized by a legislative officer.

Alabama voters approve three amendments, narrowly pass fourth in Nov. 3 midterms — Photo: yahoo.com

Amendment 2: Merging county school systems passed by roughly 1.8 points

Amendment 2, the first of several school-related measures on the ballot, asked whether neighboring county school boards could combine into a single consolidated county school system. The measure would not force any merger — counties would still have to opt in, complete an impact study on the effects, and follow an established protest procedure. Unofficial but complete results from the Alabama Secretary of State as of 12:07 a.m. on Nov. 4 showed 50.92% voting yes against 49.08% no, a margin of less than two percentage points. You can see the contest-level figures on the Alabama Secretary of State’s election night results page.

Amendments 3 and 4: Prayer, the Pledge, and the anthem in schools

Voters were more decisive on the two amendments touching daily life in public schools. Amendment 3, which would require schools to begin every day with the Pledge of Allegiance and allow student-initiated, student-led prayer, passed with 62.6% voting yes and 37.4% no, with 94% reporting. Amendment 4, requiring public K-12 schools to broadcast or permit a performance of the first stanza of “The Star-Spangled Banner” once per week during school hours — without clarifying whether participation is mandatory — passed 58.6% to 41.4% at the same reporting level.

Here's what proposed amendments Alabama voters can expect on the ballot

The school amendments drew the broadest support of the night, while the school-board consolidation question split Alabama almost evenly. Taken together, the results show voters willing to lengthen the constitution for structural changes to state government and for symbolic measures in classrooms, but far more divided when the question touches local control of schools.

All four amendments will now be added to a document that critics have long argued is unwieldy and that supporters defend as a guarantee of local accountability — a debate that Tuesday’s results did nothing to settle.

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