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Alabama Secret Ballot Amendment, Amendment 7 (2012)
| Amendment 7 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Constitutional amendment |
| Origin | Alabama Legislature |
| Topic | Labor |
| Status | Approved  |
The Alabama Secret Ballot Amendment, also known as Amendment 7, was on the November 6, 2012 ballot in the state of Alabama as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment, where it was approved. The measure guaranteed the right to a secret ballot in votes of employee representation and public votes on referenda and public office. The measure was introduced during 2011 state legislative session.[1]
Election results
- See also: 2012 ballot measure election results
The following are official election results:
| Alabama Amendment 7 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 1,056,299 | 67.11% | ||
| No | 517,595 | 32.89% | ||
Results via the Alabama Secretary of State's website.
Text of measure
Ballot language
The ballot language that voters saw on the ballot read as follows:[2]
| “ | Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to amend Amendment 579 to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, now appearing as Section 177 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, to provide that the right of individuals to vote for public office, public votes on referenda, or voters on employee representation by secret ballot is fundamental.
Yes ___ No ___[3] |
” |
Changes to the Alabama Constitution
The passing of Alabama Secret Ballot Amendment, Amendment 7 added Amendment 865 to the Alabama Constitution.
Support
- The main sponsors of the measure were Kurt Wallace, Joseph Lister Hubbard, Becky Nordgren, and Victor Gaston, among others.[4]
- Sponsor Kurt Wallace stated about the measure, "We should be free to go to work and not be harassed about whether we want unions or not...If you come to Alabama, you are not going to be forced to be union. We will let the people decide."[5]
- Wallace later stated, "We all believe we have a right to cast a ballot without intimidation and coercion from anybody – except if a union comes in. Everything is secret ballot but that.”[6]
- Quin Hillyer, a Senior Fellow for the Center for Individual Freedom and a Senior Editor for The American Spectator, said: "Unfortunately, the ballot language is absurdly confusing. It is a mish-mash of references to "Amendment 579 to the Alabama Constitution of 1901, now appearing as Section 177 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution...."[7]
Opposition
- The AFL-CIO of Alabama was against the measure.[6]
- House Democrats argued that it's not government's job to mandate how elections are done in a business.[8]
- Al Henley, president of the Alabama AFL-CIO, stated, "The measure would give companies more control over an already corporate-dominated system in which workers who want to form unions are harassed, intimidated and threatened by corporations that want to deny them their rights."[5]
Campaign contributions
No campaign contributions were made in favor or opposition of the measure, according to state election websites.[9]
Path to the ballot
Article XVIII of the Alabama Constitution requires a three-fifths (60%) vote of the Alabama State Legislature to qualify an amendment for the ballot.
The House Constitution, Campaigns and Elections Committee approved of sending the measure to the Alabama House of Representatives for debate and vote during the month of March 2011. On March 9, 2011, the Alabama House of Representatives voted to approve the amendment with a tally of 63-31. This sent the proposal to the Alabama State Senate where it faced a similar vote before going on to the 2012 ballot.[1][8]
The measure was passed during the last day of the 2011 state legislative session, officially sending it to the ballot in 2012 for public vote.[10]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Montgomvery Advertiser, "Secret ballot bill will go before the full House," March 3, 2011
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "2011-656," accessed August 27, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "House Bill 64," accessed September 18, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Republic, "Ala. Amendment 7 on the right to 'secret ballot' injects voters into labor-management battle," October 18, 2012
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Montgomery Advertiser, "November amendment could limit union organizing," October 21, 2012
- ↑ Birmingham News, "Alabamians should pass Amendment 7 to protect workers' rights (Opinion)," October 22, 2012
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 TuscaloosaNews.com, "House OKs bill for secret ballots in union votes," March 10, 2011
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "FCPA Reports," accessed November 26, 2012
- ↑ Montgomery Advertiser, "Flurry of bills pass on final day of session," June 10, 2011
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State of Alabama Montgomery (capital) |
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