Alabama voters will decide on a constitutional amendment related to compensation for district attorneys on May 26, 2026. It is the second measure certified for the state’s May 2026 ballot.

The amendment would prohibit lowering compensation for district attorneys during his or her term of office.

Currently, the Alabama Constitution provides for the salary, fees, and other compensation received by the district attorney during their term. The amendment follows other legislative efforts to change compensation structures within Alabama’s judicial system. In 2021, Senate Bill 292 was passed into law, which changed compensation schedules for district attorneys and the state attorney general; established a 7.5% raise per term for judges, district attorneys, and the attorney general; and changed the starting salaries.

In order for a constitutional amendment to make the ballot in Alabama, a 60% vote is required in both the House and Senate in the Alabama State Legislature. That amounts to a minimum of 63 votes in the Alabama House of Representatives and 21 votes in the Alabama State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor’s signature to be referred to the ballot.

The amendment, House Bill 354, was introduced by State Rep. Jim Hill (R-50) on Feb. 27, 2025. It passed the Alabama House on April 1 with 101 representatives voting for the measure and zero voting against it. In the Senate, 29 senators voted for it and one, a Republican, voted against it.

Voters will also be deciding another measure on the May 2026 ballot. This amendment, which voters will decide on May 26, 2026, would add certain offenses to a list of crimes of non-bailable offenses, which would include discharging a firearm in an occupied dwelling or other occupied space, as well as any solicitation, attempt, or conspiracy to commit murder.

Historically, a total of 116 ballot measures appeared on statewide ballots between 1987 and 2024–voters approved 93 of the measures and rejected 23. Out of all measures on the Alabama ballot in this time period, 100 were constitutional amendments. For constitutional amendments, 81 were approved and 19 were defeated.