Every statewide constitutional amendment Alabama voters faced in November 2018 won approval, most by solid margins. Several carry lasting consequences for how state government works.
Amendment 1: Ten Commandments Displays
Amendment 1 passed with 72 percent of the vote. It allows the display of the Ten Commandments on public property, including schools, so long as the display meets constitutional requirements — such as being presented alongside historical or educational materials. The measure bars the use of public funds to defend the amendment’s constitutionality in court.
Amendment 2: Sanctity of Unborn Life
Amendment 2 passed with 59 percent. A yes vote established a statement of state policy recognizing the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children, and declaring that Alabama’s constitution includes no right to abortion and does not require taxpayer-funded abortion. It did not outlaw abortion or change any law immediately, but it was written with an eye toward a potential shift in federal precedent such as a reversal of Roe v. Wade.
Amendment 3: State School Board
Amendment 3 passed with about 60 percent. It removed the State Superintendent of Education’s automatic seat on the state school board — though a superintendent could still serve if nominated and confirmed — allowed board members to keep serving past age 70, and fixed the board’s membership at the number of congressional districts in place as of January 2018.
Amendment 4: Filling Vacant Legislative Seats
Amendment 4, sponsored by outgoing Mobile County State Sen. Rusty Glover, passed with 66 percent. Under the change, a legislative seat that becomes vacant after October 1 in the third year of a four-year term is no longer filled by special election; instead, it stays open until the next general election, meaning a district could go as long as 14 months without representation.