MONTGOMERY — Alabama voters defeated a proposal to remove racist language from the state's Constitution on Tuesday, marking the second time since 2004 they killed an amendment to delete vestiges of segregation from the document.

Amendment 4 would have removed language mandating poll taxes and separate black and white schools, but black legislators and the Alabama Education Association opposed the measure. They argued it should be defeated because it preserved a 1956 amendment that declared that Alabama children did not have a right to a public education

With 87 percent of votes counted, about 61 percent of voters opposed Amendment 4.

Gov. Robert Bentley supported the amendment but said he was not surprised it was defeated. He said he still was determined to remove racist language from the Constitution, a move he believes would help the state's image around the country.

Meanwhile, Alabama voters supported 10 other statewide amendments on the ballot, including a measure to cut the pay of legislators and another to extend the Forever Wild land conservation program.

About 63 percent of voters also approved Amendment 2 to allow the state to refinance bonds and free up millions to offer incentives to new industries. Bentley held an Election Day news conference urging Alabama residents to vote for the measure, which he said will bring new jobs into the state.

"I'm very happy about the vote on Amendment 2," Bentley said as votes were being counted. "It was the only amendment on the ballot that will create jobs. Once we got the message out to the people, they voted for it."

The governor said he voted for all of the amendments that have statewide implications, including Amendment 4, which he said he didn't believe would have kept any child from going to school.

The executive director of the Forever Wild program, Adam Snyder, called the vote in favor of the wildlife program "a victory for the people of Alabama."

"Forever Wild is a program that all walks of life in Alabama support, and we are so pleased to see the most important conservation program in the state continue another 20 years," he said.

Mary Hanner, a retired 70-year-old administrative employee, said she voted for Amendment 1 because of a television ad.

"I'm a big football fan and when Pat Dye and Gene Stallings made their commercial, I decided to vote for it," she said, referring to the former Auburn and Alabama football coaches.

But one voter said she decided to skip the amendments. Sherri Gleaves, a 51-year-old real estate agent from Montgomery, said she didn't vote on any of them.

"I didn't understand them, so I decided not to vote," she said. "You can't understand the wording."

Other proposals that were approved included Amendment 6, which challenges the federal Affordable Care Act. The measure said people and employers in Alabama would be able to opt out of the federal health care overhaul that was pushed by President Barack Obama. It was approved with 57 percent of the vote.

Amendment 8 received about 67 percent of the vote. It will reduce pay for state legislators and will tie their future pay to the state's median household income. The amendment was a reaction to public criticism when legislators raised their pay several years ago. The average pay for a lawmaker would drop by more than $7,000 a year under the proposal.

Amendment 7 would allow only secret ballots to be used on votes to allow unions to form in the workplace. Supporters say it will prevent union organizers from harassing employees, but opponents say the amendment is aimed at stopping unions from organizing. It was approved with 66 percent of the vote.

Meanwhile, three of the amendments on the ballot only affected residents of Prichard in Mobile County, Stockton in Baldwin County and Lawrence County in north Alabama. All three of those amendments were approved.

Two amendments to rewrite parts of the constitution were approved. The amendments rewrite the sections of the constitution concerning banking and corporations. The two amendments received more than 54 percent of the vote.