BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Alabama voters approved all four proposed statewide constitutional amendments Tuesday, including three affecting public schools, according to unofficial results posted on the Alabama Secretary of State’s website.
Amendment 2, which allows neighboring county school systems to merge, was the closest contest, passing with 50.9% of the vote. Voters in 30 of Alabama’s 67 counties rejected the amendment.
The other three amendments passed by larger margins. Amendment 1, addressing vacancies in the lieutenant governor’s office and legislative operations, won 65.4% of the vote. Amendment 3, addressing student-led prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools, won 62.6%, while Amendment 4, requiring public schools to play or perform the national anthem weekly, won 58.6%.
Amendment 1: Lieutenant governor vacancies
Amendment 1 received 986,924 votes in favor and 521,954 against, winning a majority in all 67 counties. Jefferson County had the highest percentage voting against it, at 42.3%.
Sponsored by Sen. Sam Givhan, R-Huntsville, the amendment establishes a process for filling a vacancy in the lieutenant governor’s office during the first half of a four-year term. Previously, the office could remain vacant for the remainder of the term, as it did when Kay Ivey became governor in 2017.
The amendment also changes how compensation for legislative officers and certain travel expenses are handled.
Related: What to know about the lieutenant governor amendment on the ballot Tuesday
Amendment 2: County school system mergers
Amendment 2 passed by the narrowest margin, with 759,239 votes in favor and 731,880 opposed, a difference of 27,359 votes.
Voters in 30 counties rejected the amendment, including Jefferson, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa counties. Opposition was strongest in Bullock County, where 66.9% voted no, followed by Sumter County at 66.1% and Hale County at 65.4%.
Sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, the amendment allows two or more neighboring county school systems to merge voluntarily. Collins said the measure could help smaller school systems reduce administrative costs and put more money into classrooms.
Seven Alabama county school systems enrolled fewer than 1,000 students during the 2025-26 school year, according to an Alabama Daily News analysis.
Voters in six of those counties – Barbour, Choctaw, Greene, Marengo, Perry and Sumter – rejected the amendment. Coosa County was the exception, with 51.1% voting in favor.
Any merger would require approval from the affected school boards and a study by the State Board of Education. If at least 25% of qualified voters in any affected school district filed a written protest within 30 days, the proposal would go to a referendum.
The amendment does not require any school systems to merge.
Related: Three school-related amendments on Alabama’s November ballot: What they would do
Amendment 3: School prayer and Pledge of Allegiance
Amendment 3 passed with 62.6% of the vote, with 974,152 voting in favor and 582,838 voting against it.
Sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, the amendment requires public schools to allow voluntary, student-led prayer during the school day and conduct the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of each school day.
Students are not required to participate in either activity. State law has required public schools to conduct the pledge daily since 2019.
Eight counties voted against the amendment: Bullock, Dallas, Greene, Jefferson, Macon, Montgomery, Sumter and Wilcox. In Wilcox County, the amendment lost by just one vote, 2,028 to 2,027.
Amendment 4: National anthem
Amendment 4 passed with 58.6% of the vote, with 908,787 voting in favor and 642,863 voting against it.
Sponsored by Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Cottondale, the amendment requires public K-12 schools to play or perform the first stanza of the national anthem at least once a week during the school day.
Schools can meet the requirement by playing a recording or allowing a performance by a band, choir or vocalist. Allen had introduced legislation addressing the national anthem in schools seven times before the amendment reached voters.
Voters in 12 counties rejected the amendment, including Jefferson, Madison and Montgomery counties. Opposition was strongest in Greene County, where 66.4% voted no.