Alabama approves amendment to cut racist phrases from 119-year-old Constitution

close

Video

Fox News projects Tommy Tuberville to win Alabama Senate seat for GOP

Democrat Doug Jones had defeated Republican Roy Moore in 2017 special election

While all eyes were focused on Alabama flipping a Democratic U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday, voters there also approved an amendment to cut racist language from the state’s constitution.

The state constitution, written in 1901, was approved to codify white supremacy as state law during the Jim Crow era. Alabamans have rejected similar proposals twice  in the last 20 years, but the measure passed easily in balloting Tuesday.

This undated image released by the Alabama Department of Archives and History shows Alabama's 1901 Constitution, which was intended to maintain white supremacy in the state.  (Alabama Department of Archives and History via AP)

IT specialist Phillip Evans, who is Black and voted for Democrat Joe Biden for president, voted for the measure.

"That wasn't one of the major ones that I was looking at it but I saw it in there and I was like, 'Yeah, that makes sense,'" said Evans, 41.

Glenn Crowell, a 63-year-old retired restaurateur and registered Republican who is Black, said he voted to strip away the old phrasing

"I just want to get rid of that language. It just doesn't make any sense nowadays," said Crowell, 63, of Montgomery.

Courts have long since struck down the legalized segregation that was enshrined in the 1901 Alabama Constitution, but language banning mixed-race marriage, allowing poll taxes, and mandating school segregation remains. The amendment's sponsors had viewed the language as an embarrassment and potential roadblock to economic development.

ALABAMA POLL WORKER IS 93 AND THIS ELECTION DAY IS HER 57TH -- AN LAST

With more than 1.7 million votes cast, the amendment passed with 67% support. That means more than 585,000 people voted against it. The ballot didn't mention race, and some voters might not have even known what the amendment involved.

Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, didn't take an official position on any of six amendments that were on the ballot, including the anti-racism measure.

FILE: Mourners gathered at the Alabama Capitol following the death of Rep. John Lewis.  (AP)

The proposal qualified for the ballot with bipartisan legislative support months before nationwide protests erupted in the wake of the police custody death of George Floyd. Its passage eased the fears of supporters who worried that conservative backlash to the Black Lives Matter movement could hurt its chances.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Statehouse workers will create a draft to excise offensive wording, although sponsors said it was unclear exactly how much might be removed. Legislators will consider the updated document in 2022, and voters would have to approve the changes again before they take effect.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.