SHELBY COUNTY, Alabama -- Shelby County voters approved a local amendment to the Alabama Constitution that requires the county's probate judge to be a licensed attorney in the state.

With 48 of 49 precincts reporting, voters approved the proposed Local Amendment No. 1 with 35,955 votes, or 79 percent, compared to 9,661 votes against, or 21 percent, according to unofficial results.

The amendment allows Shelby County to join Jefferson and Mobile counties as those in Alabama that have the requirement for probate judges.

Shelby County Probate Judge Jim Fuhrmeister, a licensed attorney in Alabama, has supported the amendment, which state lawmakers approved in 2013 to get on this year's general election ballot.

Fuhrmeister said three of the last four probate judges in Shelby County have been licensed attorneys.

In an email last month, Furhmeister said about the issue: "The central question is, do you want a person trained in the law making the decisions in adoptions, estates, guardianships and the other important cases that are in probate court?"

State Sen. Cam Ward of Alabaster, a licensed attorney in Alabama, also supported the proposed requirement.

"I think it's necessary for a county the size of Shelby County, the size we are now and the number of legal issues the probate judge is required to oversee and handle, it just makes sense to have a legal background and legal degree," Ward said.

Reporter's note: Updated at 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2014, to include results from 48 of 49 precincts.