Alabama Amendment 3, Board Of Trustees Membership For University Of Alabama Amendment (2018)
From Ballotpedia - 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.
| Alabama Amendment 3 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 6, 2018 | |
| Topic Education | |
Status Approved | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The Alabama Board of Trustees Membership for University of Alabama Amendment, Amendment 3, was on the ballot in Alabama as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018. It was approved.[1]
A "yes" vote supported amending the state constitution to make the following changes to the membership of the board of trustees of the University of Alabama:
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| A "no" vote opposed amending the state constitution to make changes to the membership of the board of trustees of the University of Alabama, thereby leaving leaving the superintendent of education on the board and basing the board of trustees districts on congressional districts without freezing them as they were on January 1, 2018.[2] |
Election results[edit]
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Alabama Amendment 3 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
|
|
835,707 | 60.30% | ||
| No | 550,299 | 39.70% | ||
Overview[edit]
Measure design[edit]
Amendment 3 changed the state constitution to make the following changes to the membership of the board of trustees of the University of Alabama:[2]
- remove the superintendent of education from the board;
- establish that, for the purposes of districts for the board of trustees membership, the congressional districts in use as of January 1, 2018, would be used; and
- remove the constitutional provision establishing an age limit of 70 for members of the board.
The provision limiting the age of members of the board to 70 was not in effect going into the election. The board of trustees voted to increase the age limit to 75 in 2017.[3]
In 2016, voters approved a constitutional amendment to do away with any age limits for public officials, except judges, and prevent new age restrictions from being enacted.
How did this measure get on the ballot?[edit]
Amendment 3—Senate Bill 194 in the legislature—was sponsored in the Alabama Senate by Sen. J. T. Waggoner (R-16), Sen. Greg Reed (R-5), and Sen. Gerald Allen (R-21). It was approved by the Senate in a vote of 28 to zero on January 30, 2018.[1]
On February 22, 2018, SB 194 was unanimously approved by the state House, with one member abstaining and one member not voting. Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-43)—the representative who did not cast a vote—officially stated that he had intended to cast a vote in favor of the amendment.[1]
To put the legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a three-fifths (60 percent) supermajority vote was required in both the Alabama State Senate and the Alabama House of Representatives.
Text of measure[edit]
Ballot title[edit]
The ballot title for the amendment was as follows:[1]
| “ |
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, relating to the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, to specify that the congressional districts from which members are appointed continue to reflect those as constituted on January 1, 2018, to remove the State Superintendent of Education from membership, and to delete the requirement that members vacate office at the annual meeting of the board following their seventieth birthday. [4] |
” |
Ballot summary[edit]
The plain language summary provided by the state's Fair Ballot Commission was as follows:[5]
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Constitutional changes[edit]
- See also: Article XIV, Alabama Constitution
The measure amended Section 264 of Article XIV of the Alabama Constitution. The following underlined text was added, and struck-through text was deleted:[2]
|
The state university shall be under the management
and control of a board of trustees, which shall consist of two
members from each congressional district in the state as
constituted on January 1, 2018, an additional member from the
congressional district which includes the site of the first
campus of the university, The members of the board of trustees as now constituted shall
hold office until their respective terms expire under existing
law, and until their successors shall be elected and confirmed
as hereinafter required. The additional trustees provided for
by this amendment shall be elected by the existing members of
the board, and confirmed by the senate in the manner provided
below, for initial terms of not more than six years
established by the board so that one term shall expire each
three years in each congressional district. Successors to the
terms of the existing and additional trustees shall hold
office for a term of six years, and shall not serve more than
three consecutive full six-year terms on the board |
Readability score[edit]
- See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2018
| Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure.
In 2018, for the 167 statewide measures on the ballot, the average ballot title or question was written at a level appropriate for those with between 19 and 20 years of U.S. formal education (graduate school-level of education), according to the FKGL formula. Read Ballotpedia's entire 2018 ballot language readability report here. |
Support[edit]
The amendment was sponsored in the Alabama Senate by Sen. J. T. Waggoner (R-16), Sen. Greg Reed (R-5), and Sen. Gerald Allen (R-21).[6]
Arguments[edit]
- The Decatur Daily wrote, "State superintendents rarely attend meetings, and keeping the current number of trustees makes it easier for the university system's leadership to be representative of the state's population. This proposed amendment passed the state Legislature unanimously. The Daily recommends voting yes on Statewide Amendment No. 3."[7]
Opposition[edit]
Arguments[edit]
- John Archibald, a columnist for Reckon by AL.com, wrote, "Granted, 70 ain’t what it used to be. But this amendment lets the self-appointing UA board – already one of the most powerful forces in the state – get what they want and answer to no one. Vote no."[8]
Campaign finance[edit]
| Total campaign contributions: | |
| Support: | $0.00 |
| Opposition: | $0.00 |
Ballotpedia did not identify any committees registered in support of or in opposition to the measure.[9] If you are aware of a committee registered to support or oppose this measure, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.
Background[edit]
Congressional districts[edit]
As of 2018, Alabama comprised seven congressional districts. The map below depicts Alabama's congressional district lines as drawn following the 2010 United States Census. Under the amendment, board members will continue to be elected from these congressional districts. The constitution states that three members must be elected from the 7th congressional district (where the Tuscaloosa campus is located) and two members would be elected from each of the remaining six districts.[10]
| Alabama's Congressional Districts |
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|
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The University of Alabama System[edit]
The University of Alabama System includes:[10]
- The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama;
- The University of Alabama in Birmingham; and
- The University of Alabama in Huntsville.
The Board of Trustees[edit]
Composition[edit]
As of June 2018, the Alabama Constitution provided that the Board of Trustees was to be composed of 17 members as follows:[10]
- 15 elected members:
- Three elected from the 7th congressional district, where the Tuscaloosa campus is located
- Two members elected from each of the remaining six congressional districts
- Two Ex-officio (non-elected) members:
- The Governor of Alabama
- The Superintendent of Education
This amendment removed the superintendent as one of the board's members.
Function[edit]
According to the University of Alabama System, the Board of Trustees exists to:[10]
- "ensure the effective leadership, management, and control over the activities of the three doctoral research universities in The University of Alabama System,"
- "provide for a definitive, orderly form of governance, and secure and continue responsive, progressive, and superior institutions of higher education," and
- "determine the major policies of the System, review existing policies; define the mission, role, and scope of each campus; and assume ultimate responsibility to the public and political bodies of Alabama."
Amendment 7 of 1982[edit]
- See also: Article XIV, Alabama Constitution
The Alabama University of Alabama Trustees Amendment, or Amendment 7 was on the ballot in Alabama on March 2, 1982, as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. It was approved by a vote of 186,038 (60.44%) to 121,748 (39.56%). It proposed to amend the constitutional requirements with regard to the trustees of the University of Alabama. It stipulated the number of trustees, the manner of their election, the age of their retirement and the maximum number of consecutive terms of service.
Referred amendments on the ballot[edit]
From 1996 through 2016, the Alabama State Legislature referred 96 constitutional amendments to the ballot. Voters approved 75 and rejected 21 of the referred amendments. Most of the amendments (90 of 96) were referred to the ballot during even-numbered election years. The average number of amendments appearing on the ballot during an even-numbered election year was 8.5. The approval rate at the ballot box was 78.13 percent during the 20-year period from 1996 through 2016. The rejection rate was 21.87 percent.
| Legislatively referred constitutional amendments, 1996-2016 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years | Total number | Approved | Percent approved | Defeated | Percent defeated | Annual average | Annual median | Annual minimum | Annual maximum |
| Even years | 90 | 72 | 80.00% | 18 | 20.00% | 8.50 | 7.00 | 4 | 15 |
| Odd years | 6 | 3 | 50.00% | 3 | 50.00% | 0.60 | 0.00 | 0 | 3 |
| All years | 96 | 75 | 78.13% | 21 | 21.87% | 4.55 | 3.50 | 0 | 15 |
Path to the ballot[edit]
- See also: Amending the Alabama Constitution
To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a three-fifths (60 percent) supermajority vote is required in both the Alabama State Senate and the Alabama House of Representatives.
This amendment—Senate Bill 194—was read for the first time in the Senate on January 18, 2018. It was approved by the Senate in a vote of 28-0—with one absent, five abstaining, and one vacancy—on January 30, 2018.[1]
On February 22, 2018, SB 194 was unanimously approved by the state House, with one member abstaining and one member not voting. Rep. Arnold Mooney (R-43)—the representative who did not cast a vote—officially stated that he had intended to cast a vote in favor of the amendment. There were three vacancies in the House at the time of the vote.[1]
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How to cast a vote[edit]
- See also: Voting in Alabama
Poll times[edit]
In Alabama polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time on the date of an election. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[12][13] Most of Alabama falls within the Central time zone. Portions of eastern Alabama, including Phenix City and some surrounding areas, observe Eastern Time as opposed to Central Time.[14]
Registration requirements[edit]
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.[15]
Voters cannot register during the 14-day period preceding an election. A citizen can register to vote at the following locations:[15]
- License branches
- State or local government offices
- Public libraries
- Military recruiting stations
- County boards of registrars
Prospective voters may also mail in a registration form.
Automatic registration[edit]
Alabama does not practice automatic voter registration.
Online registration[edit]
- 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[edit]
Alabama does not allow same-day voter registration.
Residency requirements[edit]
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[edit]
An Alabama state law, passed in 2011, calls for people to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote.[16] However, as of August 2019, the law had not been implemented.[17]
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."[18]
Verifying your registration[edit]
The site Alabama Votes, run by the Alabama Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voter ID requirements[edit]
Alabama requires voters to present photo identification at the polls. The following list of accepted forms of identification was current as of October 2019. Click here for the most current information, sourced directly from the Office of the Alabama Secretary of State.
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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.
A voter must provide a copy of his or her identification with both an application for an absentee ballot and the completed ballot itself, with the exception of 1) voters for whom polling locations are inaccessible due to age or disability, and 2) overseas military members.[19][20]
Related measures[edit]
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Alabama State Legislature, "Senate Bill 194," accessed February 20, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Alabama Legislature, "Senate Bill 194 - Text," accessed February 20, 2018
- ↑ Tuscaloosa News, "University of Alabama sets new trustee retirement age," February 3, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "2017-2018 Statewide Constitutional Amendments: Ballot Statements," accessed July 31, 2018
- ↑ Alabama Legislature, "Senate Bill 194," accessed June 28, 2018
- ↑ The Wichita Eagle, "Alabama editorial roundup," October 24, 2018
- ↑ Al.com, "Alabama amendments: Life, liberty, and the pursuit of unintended consequences," October 21, 2018
- ↑ AlabamaSecretary of State, "Committee Search," accessed June 27, 2018
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 The University of Alabama System, "The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama," accessed June 28, 2018
- ↑ One member abstained, and one member did not vote, but meant to vote in favor of the amendment.
- ↑ Code of Alabama, "Title 17, Chapter 9, Section 6," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ NBC News, "Voters already in line at poll closing can still cast ballots," December 12, 2017
- ↑ The Decatur Daily, "Parts of Eastern Alabama split between 2 time zones," August 13, 2006
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Alabama Secretary of State, "Voter Registration General Information," accessed August 19, 2019
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Election Laws, Section 31-13-28," accessed August 21, 2019
- ↑ Phone conversation between Amée LaTour and Jeff Elrod, supervisor of voter registration with the Alabama Secretary of State office.
- ↑ Pew Trusts, "'Proof of Citizenship' Voting Laws May Surge Under Trump," November 16, 2017
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Election Laws, Section 17-10-1," accessed August 20, 2019
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting Information," accessed August 20, 2019
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