Alabama Amendment 1, Allow Franklin County Board of Education to Manage, Sell, or Lease Land in the Franklin County School System Amendment (2024)

Alabama Amendment 1
Election date November 5, 2024
Topic State and local government budgets, spending and finance and Education
Status a Approved
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

The Alabama Allow Franklin County Board of Education to Manage, Sell, or Lease Land in the Franklin County School System Amendment was on the ballot in Alabama as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 5, 2024. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported allowing the Franklin County Board of Education to manage, sell, or lease lands or natural resources from the lands within in the Franklin County School System located in Walker and Fayette County.

A "no" vote opposed allowing the Franklin County Board of Education to manage, sell, or lease lands or natural resources from the lands within in the Franklin County School System located in Walker and Fayette County.

Election results

See also: Results for education and school choice ballot measures, 2024

Alabama Amendment 1
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		1,159,794	74.37%
No		399,640	25.63%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What did the amendment do?

See also: Text of measure

The amendment gave the Franklin County Board of Education ownership and control over certain sixteenth section school lands in Fayette and Walker Counties that are currently owned by the Franklin County School System. Under the amendment, the Franklin County Board of Education was given the right to manage, sell, lease, and control the land and any natural resources, such as timber and minerals, on the land. Any proceeds generated by the sale or lease of the land or its resources were set to be deposited in the Franklin County Board of Education General Fund.

What are the different types of school lands?

See also: Background

Sixteenth section lands are school lands donated to the state by the United States government. Sixteenth section lands can be sold or exchanged by the Commissioner of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources with the approval of the governor and state superintendent of education.

Other types of school property include local board of education property, which is owned by the local county or city board of education. The sale of these lands does not involve the state.

State-owned school property, which is owned by the state, is effectively a trust where the state is the trustee with decision-making authority while the county or city board of education is the beneficiary, so, if the property is sold by the state, proceeds go to the county or city board of education.

How did this amendment get on the ballot?

Se also: Path to the ballot

To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a 60 percent vote is required in both the Alabama State Senate and the Alabama House of Representatives.

House Bill 302 proposing the amendment was approved in the House by a vote of 72-0 with 29 members abstaining and two members not voting on April 9, 2024. The state Senate passed the measure in a vote of 35-0 on May 8, 2024.

Text of measure

Ballot question

The ballot question for the amendment was as follows:

“

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, to grant certain sixteenth section and indemnity school land that is owned in fee simple by the Franklin County school system, is located in Fayette County and Walker County, and is for the exclusive use of schools in the Franklin County School System to the Franklin County Board of Education; and to provide for the distribution of any proceeds and interest generated by this land to the Franklin County Board of Education. Yes ( ) No ( )

”

Ballot summary

The Alabama Fair Ballot Commission wrote the following ballot statement:

“ In the 1800’s, Congress granted each township in the state certain land designated as “sixteenth section lands” and “indemnity lands” for the benefit of schools. Money earned from these lands is dedicated to the support and maintenance of the public schools in the state. Currently, the Franklin County School System owns some sixteenth section lands and indemnity lands that are located in Fayette County and Walker County. This amendment will transfer ownership rights of those lands to the Franklin County Board of Education. Upon approval, the amendment will provide that any money earned from the lease or sale of the lands or its natural resources will be paid to the Franklin County Board of Education. Money currently held in trust by the State of Alabama prior to the approval of this amendment will continue to be held in trust and any money earned from those transactions will continue to be paid to the Franklin County Board of Education. If the majority of voters vote “yes” on Amendment 1, the Alabama Constitution will be changed. If the majority of voters vote “no” on Amendment 1, the Alabama Constitution will not be changed. There are no costs or taxes related to Amendment 1. The Constitutional authority for passage of Amendment 1 is set forth in accordance with Sections 284, 285 and 287 of the Constitution of Alabama. These sections outline the method a constitutional amendment may be put to the people of the State for a vote. ”

Constitutional changes

See also: Alabama Constitution

The measure added the following amendment to the Alabama Constitution. The following underlined text was added:

Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

(a) All sixteenth section and indemnity school land that is owned in fee simple by the Franklin County School System, is located in Fayette County and Walker County, and is for the exclusive use of schools in the Franklin County School System is vested in the Franklin County Board of Education. The board may manage, sell, lease, and control the land and any timber, minerals, or other natural resource of the land.

(b) Any proceeds generated from the sale of timber, minerals, or other natural resource of the land, or from the lease or sale of the land or its natural resources, shall be paid to the Franklin County Board of Education and deposited into the Franklin County Board of Education General Fund.

(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that this amendment supersede any other provision of this constitution that may be construed as conflicting with this amendment as it relates to the land and the rights, power, and control thereof and to the sale, lease, or other disposition of the land and timber, minerals, or other natural resource of the land, and any proceeds and interest earned therefrom.

(d) Upon ratification of this amendment, all proceeds realized from the sale, lease, or other disposition of the land or the sale of timber, minerals, or other natural resource of the land occurring before ratification of this amendment, and held in trust by the State of Alabama, shall continue to be held in trust, and any proceeds and interest derived from those transactions shall be paid to the Franklin County Board of Education.

Upon ratification of this constitutional amendment, the Code Commissioner shall number and place this amendment as appropriate in the constitution omitting this instructional paragraph and may make the following nonsubstantive revisions: change capitalization, hierarchy, spelling, and punctuation for purposes of style and uniformity; correct manifest grammatical, clerical, and typographical errors; revise internal or external citations and cross-references; harmonize language; and translate effective dates.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• State Rep. Jamie Kiel (R)

Arguments

• State Rep. Jamie Kiel (R-18): "At one point the land was redistributed across the state for local schools so that all schools were treated more equitably. Because of that, school systems own land in parts of the state that are not in their county. It was much more valuable than what it was intended for. It was much more valuable than the use it was currently in. Franklin County has found itself in the same situation. There is land on I-22 that has been managed just for land use, timber use, and hunting rights. That sort of thing, but it has a much more valuable purpose. The land could be used for a hotel or truck stops like other exits on the interstate. Because of that the local counties and governments where that land is situated could have increased revenue from sales tax and property tax if that were to be put to its best use."

Opposition

Ballotpedia did not locate a campaign in opposition to the ballot measure.

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Alabama ballot measures

If you are aware of a committee registered to support or oppose this measure, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Background

Types of school lands

Sixteenth section lands are school lands donated to the state by the United States government. Sixteenth section lands can be sold or exchanged by the Commissioner of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources with the approval of the governor and state superintendent of education.

Other types of school property include local board of education property, which is owned by the local county or city board of education. The sale of these lands does not involve the state.

State-owned school property, which is owned by the state, is effectively a trust where the state is the trustee with decision-making authority while the county or city board of education is the beneficiary, so, if the property is sold by the state, proceeds go to the county or city board of education.

Franklin County School District

The following map shows Franklin County School District in Alabama, headquartered in Russellville, Alabama.

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Alabama Constitution

To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a 60 percent vote is required in both the Alabama State Senate and the Alabama House of Representatives.

House Bill 302 proposing the amendment was approved in the House by a vote of 72-0 with 29 members abstaining and two members not voting on April 9, 2024. The State Senate passed the measure in a vote of 35-0 on May 8, 2024.

Vote in the Alabama House of Representatives April 9, 2024
Requirement: Three-fifths (60 percent) vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 62  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	72	0	31
Total percent	69.90%	0.00%	30.09%
Democrat	5	0	23
Republican	67	0	8

Vote in the Alabama State Senate May 8, 2024
Requirement: Three-fifths (60 percent) vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 21  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	35	0	0
Total percent	100.00%	0.00%	0.00%
Democrat	8	0	0
Republican	27	0	0

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Alabama

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Alabama.

How to vote in Alabama

Poll times

In Alabama, polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. According to state law, "All polling places in areas operating on eastern time shall open and close under this section pursuant to eastern time except the county commissions in Chambers County and Lee County may by resolution provide for any polling place to be excluded from this sentence and to be open according to central time." An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

Alabama requires that an applicant be a citizen of the United States who resides in Alabama. A voter must be at least 18 years old on or before Election Day. A citizen cannot have been barred from registering due to a felony conviction and cannot have been declared mentally incompetent by a court.

Voters cannot register during the 14-day period preceding an election. According to the Alabama Secretary of State's website:

“

You may download the State of Alabama Postcard Voter Registration Application from this site. The form can be printed on your printer, filled out, and then mailed into your local voter registration officials. Click here for more information. You may also request a postcard voter registration from this office by e-mail. Click here to request a voter registration form. Voter registration is also available from your local County Board of Registrars. Click here to get the address and phone number for the board of registrars office in your county. You may also obtain voter registration services at the following state and local government offices and agencies: Driver's licensing office County and select municipal public libraries Department of Human Resources WIC Program, Department of Public Health Medicaid Agency Department of Rehabilitation Services The postcard voter registration form is also available at: Public 4-year universities Select private 4-year universities Driver's licensing office County and select municipal public libraries Department of Human Resources WIC Program, Department of Public Health Medicaid Agency Department of Rehabilitation Services

”

Automatic registration

Alabama does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Alabama has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Alabama does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Alabama, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

An Alabama state law, passed in 2011, requires people to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. However, as of June 2025, the law had not been implemented.

In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states cannot require proof of citizenship with federal registration forms. That meant states would need to create a separate registration system for state elections in order to require proof of citizenship. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill (R) said the following: "That’s an election administration nightmare ... You’d have to have two sets of poll books, one for federal elections and one for state elections, and that just doesn’t make any sense to me."

An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Alabama Secretary of State's Voter View website allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Alabama requires voters to present photo identification at the polls. The following list of accepted forms of identification was current as of September 2024. Click here for the most current information, sourced directly from the Office of the Alabama Secretary of State.

“

Valid Alabama Driver’s License (not expired or has been expired less than 60 days) Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Digital Driver’s License Valid Alabama Nondriver ID (not expired or has been expired less than 60 days) Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Digital Nondriver ID Valid Alabama Photo Voter ID Card Valid State-Issued ID (Alabama or any other state) Examples Valid AL Department of Corrections Release - Temporary ID (Photo Required) Valid AL Movement/Booking Sheet from Prison/Jail System (Photo Required) Valid Pistol Permit (Photo Required) Valid Federal-Issued ID Valid US passport Valid Employee ID from Federal Government, State of Alabama, County, Municipality, Board, or other entity of this state Valid student or employee ID from a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools) Digital student ID from a public or private college or university in the State of Alabama (including postgraduate technical or professional schools) Valid student or employee ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state Digital student ID issued by a state institution of higher learning in any other state Valid Military ID Valid Tribal ID

”

A voter can obtain a free identification card from the Alabama Secretary of State, a county registrar's office, or a mobile location. The mobile location schedule can be accessed here.

Voters must also provide a copy of valid photo identification when applying for an absentee ballot, with the exception of 1) voters for whom polling locations are inaccessible due to age or disability, and 2) overseas military members.

See also

2024 measures

• 2024 ballot measures
• Budgets on the ballot
• Education on the ballot

Alabama

• Alabama ballot measures
• Alabama ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Alabama House Bill 302