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Constitutional Reform
Since the adoption of the 1901 State Constitution by the people of Alabama, it has been amended over 600 times. Over the years, some scholars and others have recommended that the constitution be revised and brought up to date. Currently there are two modes of amending the constitution:
- The Legislature must pass a bill calling for a constitutional convention. Elected delegates would rewrite the Constitution. The Constitution must then be ratified by a majority vote of the people.
- The most accepted and most used method is by the introduction of a bill in the Legislature and upon approval of a 3/5 vote of both Houses, the amendment is submitted to the people for adoption by a majority vote.
We support a limited revision of the 1901 Constitution that recompiles the sections currently unchanged; reflects those changes dictated by the courts and the U.S. Constitution; and a more easily followed arrangement of amendments in alphabetical order by county while continuing to retain numerical designations for ease in research. Amendments concerning statewide issues would remain numerically arranged, along with a brief subject explanation.
We oppose any type of constitutional change by convention. A convention, as some say occurred in 1901, could produce a constitution much less desirable and would require a take-all or leave-all vote. An article-by-article approach presented to the people for ratification would be more easily understood and more widely accepted. Some articles may not need to be and should not be revised. When all of the changes using this method are finished, then the entire, newly revised constitution could be adopted by the people.
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