Chief Justice Howell Heflin led the statewide ratification campaign. The Citizens' Conference financed and coordinated the campaign. Many newspapers, organizations, and other groups also joined the campaign. Before the vote on December 18th, 20 of the state's 25 daily newspapers, including all the major dailies, had given editorial endorsements. More than 70% of the state's weekly papers editorially endorsed the amendment. Around 45 organizations, over 20 of them statewide groups, endorsed the Judicial Article.
On December 18, 1973 118,449 voters participated in the constitutional referendum. 73,609 voted for ratification, a 62.1% majority. Therefore, Alabama joined the ranks of the states that adopted judicial reform measures, specifically a modified unified and centralized management system. The unification was not complete in that municipal and probate courts were left, in part, out of the system. Also, the reform was not completely comprehensive in that merit selection of judges was not adopted. However, the reform was substantial. Governor Albert Brewer was instrumental in providing a vehicle for reform by supporting the effort to establish the Constitutional Commission which eventually became the document for judicial reform. Over time, Howell Heflin brought the ideas of the National State Court reform movement to Alabama and provided the leadership to sustain the reform effort.
After the Judicial Article's adoption in December 1973, Chief Justice Heflin focused his attention on the implementation of the new unified judicial system. Starting in 1971, the implementation process began with the appointment of a 55 member Judicial Article Implementation Commission.