Alabama voters will soon decide whether to continue electing State School Board members or switch to an appointed system — and one Mobile-area board member is campaigning hard to keep the vote in the hands of the people.
State School Board Member Jackie Zeigler has launched a social media campaign against Amendment One, a constitutional measure that would change the Alabama Board of Education from elected positions to appointed ones as current members complete their terms.
“I question whenever anyone tries to take away the vote of the people,” Zeigler said. “If they want to get rid of me, let them do it at the ballot box and they can bring in someone else.”
Zeigler argues that elected board members are more directly accountable to the communities they serve. She has also filed a complaint with the Alabama Fair Ballot Commission and the Secretary of State’s office, pushing for clearer ballot language so voters understand the potential shift.
“Sometimes a yes vote is a no and a no vote is a yes, so with the wording of it, it just doesn’t clarify the intent,” Zeigler said.
Governor Kay Ivey has expressed support for switching to appointed positions, arguing that Alabama’s consistent placement near the bottom of national education rankings warrants a new approach.
“They met us, they understand us, they know from where we came,” Zeigler said of her constituents. “It was their desire to put us in that place because they’ve known us and they trust us, otherwise they would have elected someone else.”