Alabama ballot measure · November 3, 2026
Alabama Statewide Amendment 4, explained
Weekly broadcast of The Star-Spangled Banner in public schools. A ballot measure is a yes-or-no question put directly to voters — no candidate is involved, and the wording on the ballot is the wording that becomes law. This page shows that wording first, then what it actually changes.
The official wording
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, to require local boards of education to adopt policies requiring each public K-12 school to broadcast or sanction the performance of the first stanza of The Star-Spangled Banner at least once per week during school hours. (Proposed by Act 2026-424)
This is what appears on the ballot. Everything below explains it.
What it actually means
Every public K-12 school in Alabama would have to play the first verse of the national anthem at least once a week during school hours. Schools could use a recording archived by the Library of Congress, or have a school band, choir, group or singer perform it from Library of Congress sheet music. The requirement would sit in the state constitution.
If you vote YES
- Each local board of education would have to adopt a policy requiring every public K-12 school under it to broadcast The Star-Spangled Banner during school hours at least once a week.
- Boards would select a recording of the first stanza that is archived in the Library of Congress and available on its website.
- As an alternative, a board could allow a live performance of the first stanza from Library of Congress sheet music by a school-sanctioned band, choral programme, vocal group or vocalist.
- Only the first stanza is covered, and the requirement would be in the constitution, so changing it would take another statewide vote.
- If approved, Alabama would be the first state to put a national anthem requirement for public schools in its constitution; five states have such requirements in statute.
If you vote NO
- Alabama public schools would have no state requirement to play the national anthem. Schools could continue to play it at their own discretion or at events such as sporting occasions.
- Nothing in existing Alabama law would change, and the constitution would not be amended.
- Any future requirement could be adopted by ordinary legislation instead of a statewide vote.
Why supporters say YES
"This piece of legislation is one that I think will help us celebrate the 250th anniversary of this great country, and making sure that public schools in Alabama will have the opportunity to sing the first stanza of the national anthem once a week."
— Sen. Gerald Allen (R-Cottondale), the amendment's sponsor
"I certainly like this because I believe schools play an important role in helping students develop and appreciate our country and the value it represents, an opportunity to reflect on our nation's history."
— Shawn McDaniel, superintendent of Pickens County schools, quoted by Ballotpedia
Why opponents say NO
The state teaches a selective version of its history while requiring the anthem, and the anthem's third stanza is itself objectionable: "We can't tell the history of the people who helped build this state, because somehow that's DEI. Now I'm talking about black folks, not DEI. Black people, who contributed to the making of this state. It doesn't sound very patriotic."
— Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham), speaking during Senate debate
The requirement does not belong in an already very long constitution: "Let me say I am so proud to be an American, and I love singing the Star Spangled Banner. I just don't think it should be a constitutional amendment. I know we have the longest one in the country, so I don't think it should go in the Constitution."
— Sen. Vivian Davis Figures (D-Mobile), speaking during Senate debate
What’s genuinely uncertain
- No committee has registered to support or oppose the amendment, and no organised campaign exists on either side; the arguments above come from floor debate. The bill passed the Senate 22-5 and the House 75-27, with opposition votes coming from Democrats.
- The amendment does not say what a school must do about students who do not wish to stand or participate, and it does not create an opt-out, unlike Amendment 3.
- No cost estimate for schools was published.
The bottom line
Whether to require every public school in Alabama to play the national anthem weekly and to fix that in the constitution; its sponsor frames it as a patriotic observance tied to the country's 250th anniversary, while opposing senators argue it does not belong in the constitution and object to how the state handles the rest of its history.
One neutral sentence describing the tradeoff — not a recommendation.
Checking it against the official text
The Alabama Secretary of State publishes the certified measures and, in most states, an official voter guide with fiscal notes. That is the authoritative version. Everything here is an explanation of it, not a substitute for it.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Alabama Secretary of State.
Other measures on the Alabama ballot
Candidates on the same ballot
- U.S. Senate election in Alabama
- Alabama governor's race
- Alabama's 1st congressional district
- Alabama's 2nd congressional district
- Alabama's 3rd congressional district
- Alabama's 4th congressional district
- Alabama's 5th congressional district
- Alabama's 6th congressional district