Want to read plain-English explanations of the four statewide amendments on the ballot in November?

The Alabama Fair Ballot Commission approved ballot statements last month and they are posted by the Secretary of State.

The Legislature created the Fair Ballot Commission in 2014 "to provide the public a fair and accurate explanation of what a vote for and what a vote against a statewide ballot measure represents."

The idea was to explain the amendments clearly, without the legalese that can make the proposals hard to follow.

Alabama voters will have their say on four statewide amendments on Nov. 6.

Amendment 1 says displays of the Ten Commandments can be posted at schools and on other state and local government property, provided that they meet constitutional requirements, such as being alongside other historical and educational documents. It says no public funds can be used to defend the law if it is challenged in court.

Amendment 2 says it's the public policy of the state to recognize the rights of the unborn, including the right to life. It says the state Constitution does not carry a right to an abortion or public funding for abortions. It would not outlaw abortion because the constitutional right to an abortion established by the U.S. Supreme Court remains in place.

Amendment 3 concerns the makeup of the University of Alabama board of trustees. Section 264 of the Constitution requires three members from Alabama's 7th Congressional district, which includes Tuscaloosa, and two members from each of the state's other six districts. Amendment 3 is intended to preserve that alignment of the board if the districts change. It says membership will be based on the districts as they were on Jan. 1, 2018. There are concerns that Alabama could lose a district when the Congressional seats are reapportioned after the 2020 census.

Amendment 3 does two other things. It would remove the requirement that UA trustees retire from the board after age 70. And it would remove the state superintendent of education's position as an ex-officio member of the board.

Amendment 4 would change how vacancies in the Legislature are filled. When a vacancy occurs, the state Constitution requires the governor to call a special election. The winner fills the remainder of the term. Vacancies that occurred late in this four-year term required several special elections at the tail end of the term, including two that weren't decided until May. That was just a month before primaries for the next full, four-year term. Amendment 4 would change the Constitution to say that vacancies that happen Oct. 1 or later in the third year of a four-year term would not be filled until the next regular election.