Alabama 2018 ballot measures

Elections in Alabama, 2018

• General election: Nov. 6
• Voter registration deadline: Oct. 22
• Early voting: N/A
• Absentee voting deadline: Postmark Nov. 5

• Online registration: Yes
• Same-day registration: No
• Voter ID: Photo ID required
• Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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Four statewide ballot measures were certified to appear on the Alabama ballot in 2018. All were approved.

HIGHLIGHTS

The legislature put all four constitutional amendments on the November 2018 ballot.

One amendment established as Alabama policy to "recognize and support the sanctity of unborn life and the rights of unborn children" and state that the constitution does not provide a right to abortion or abortion funding.

Another amendment authorized the display of the Ten Commandments on public property and provide certain restrictions and provisions regarding religious freedom.

The other two amendments concerned legislative vacancies and the University of Alabama board of trustees, respectively.

On the ballot

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Amendment 1	Religion	Display of Ten Commandments on state property	a
LRCA	Amendment 2	Abortion	States that the Alabama Constitution recognizes and supports the sanctity of unborn life and does not protect abortion	a
LRCA	Amendment 3	Education and Administration	University of Alabama Board of Trustees Membership	a
LRCA	Amendment 4	State legislatures	Changes legislatively vacancy procedure to allow seats to remain vacant if the remaining term is no more than a certain length	a

Getting measures on the ballot

As of 2018, Alabama state law did not allow for initiatives or referendums; therefore, all measures were referred to the ballot by the Alabama Legislature. The state's 2018 legislative session lasted from January 9 through April 23, 2018, during which time constitutional amendments were placed on the ballot by the legislature.

According to Article 18 of the Alabama Constitution, both houses of the Alabama State Legislature are required to pass a proposed constitutional amendment by a three-fifths or 60 percent vote in order to send it to the statewide election ballot. If the amendment is approved by a simple majority of the voters, it becomes part of the state constitution.

Historical facts

See also: List of Alabama ballot measures and History of Initiative & Referendum in Alabama

• A total of 91 measures appeared on statewide ballots in Alabama from 1997 to 2016.
• From 1997 to 2016, the number of measures on statewide ballots during even-numbered years ranged from four to 15.
• Between 1997 and 2016, an average of 8.5 measures appeared on the ballot in Alabama during even-numbered election years.
• Between 1997 and 2016, about 80 percent (68 of 85) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots during even-numbered years were approved, and about 20 percent (17 of 85) were defeated.

Summary of campaign contributions

See also: Ballot measure campaign finance, 2018

The following chart illustrates how much support and opposition committees had amassed in campaign contributions for each measure on the ballot:

Note: In some cases committees were registered to support or oppose multiple propositions. Ballotpedia lists the total sum that all committees registered to support or oppose each proposition have received in contributions. This means that the sum of all contributions in the chart below is higher than the total amount contributed.

Ballot Measure:	Support contributions:	Opposition contributions:	Outcome:
Alabama Amendment 3	$0.00	$0.00	a
Alabama Amendment 1	$36,378.14	$0.00	a
Alabama Amendment 2	$7,993.00	$1,564,749.97	a
Alabama Amendment 4	$0.00	$0.00	a

Not on the ballot

See also: Proposed ballot measures that were not on a ballot

The list below contains measures that were proposed and reached a certain stage in the initiative or referral process, but did not make the ballot.

Type	Title	Subject	Description	Result
LRCA	Supreme Court Chief Justice to Organize State Constitution Amendment	Constitution	Chief justice of the supreme court to reorganize the state constitution
LRCA	Lieutenant Governor Amendment	State Exec	Duties of the lieutenant governor

State profile

Demographic data for Alabama
	Alabama	U.S.
Total population:	4,853,875	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	50,645	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	68.8%	73.6%
Black/African American:	26.4%	12.6%
Asian:	1.2%	5.1%
Native American:	0.5%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	1.7%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	4%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	84.3%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	23.5%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$43,623	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	23.3%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Alabama. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Alabama

Alabama voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

More Alabama coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Alabama
• United States congressional delegations from Alabama
• Public policy in Alabama
• Endorsers in Alabama
• Alabama fact checks
• More...

See also

• 2018 ballot measures
• List of Alabama ballot measures
• History of Initiative & Referendum in Alabama
• Campaign finance requirements for Alabama ballot measures