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September 25, 2002 One of the proposed amendments to Alabama's oft-amended 1901 Constitution on the Nov. 5 ballot would ensure that if the state ever gets around to writing a new constitution, it would be effective only after it has been ratified by voters. It may not sound like a big issue. In virtually all the talk of constitutional reform in the last couple of years, having any new draft ratified by voters was a component of the plan. But that is not a given. Three of the constitutions the state of Alabama has operated under since becoming a state were never ratified by voters, according to Secretary of State Jim Bennett, and nothing in the current constitution or any of its 700-plus other amendments establishes this requirement. The future of constitutional reform in Alabama remains up in the air. It could hinge largely on the outcome of the gubernatorial race and perhaps some others to be decided in November. Proponents of reform have not stopped the quest, despite the failure to get anything done in the last legislative session. But whether or not constitutional reform continues to be an issue in the coming legislative session, this amendment is needed. It will give Alabamians, by law, a guarantee they get the last word on any new constitution created for this state. That's a promise that should to be put into law, whether constitutional reform becomes an issue for voters in the next session or in the next century. Return to: Constitutional Reform ~ In the News Return to: Editorial Index |
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Citizens for Constitutional Reform Foundation, Inc. P.O. Box 34 Montgomery, Alabama 36101-0034 E-mail: accr@constitutionalreform.org |
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