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The Associated Press
November 18, 2001

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — A new poll finds greater awareness in Alabama of the state constitution reform effort, but also skepticism about special interests meddling in any attempt to rewrite the century-old document.

   Many of the respondents said they believe the state needs a new constitution to improve government and schools. But they also believe some legislators and special interest groups are reluctant to surrender powers given them by the much-amended 1901 constitution.

   Seven out of 10 people participating in the Southern Opinion Research poll said a few big interests run state government, and 65 percent believe the current state tax system favors the rich and hurts the poor.
Results of the survey of 500 Alabama voters were released Sunday. The poll was commissioned by The Tuscaloosa News, the TimesDaily in Florence and the Gadsden Times. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percent and participants were interviewed over a four-day period.

   In the poll, 29 percent of respondents statewide said the legislature should change the constitution and 52 percent favored a constitutional convention.

   Respondents who said they believe legislators waste tax dollars and view special interests as the real state power were more likely to favor changing the constitution through a convention rather than letting legislators rewrite the document themselves.

   The poll results indicated most people want a change to the constitution, whether its replacing individual amendments or adopting an entirely new document.

   Only 18 percent said the constitution should be kept as it is, while 47 percent said it should be changed amendment by amendment, and 28 percent said they favored replacing the constitution entirely.
   Jim Stovall of Southern Opinion Research said the poll indicates that reform advocates are making headway garnering public support.

   “I think you can argue from the numbers that people are paying attention to this topic,” he said. “However, I don’t think you can argue there’s a great groundswell either.”

   The poll also found that 64 percent favor giving counties home rule, but only 44 percent believe county commissioners should have the authority to set tax rates, and 47 percent want the counties to have zoning authority.

   As for reform awareness, the poll showed that while more people are aware of constitutional reform than there were five years ago, the issue is still not a hot topic of discussion among the majority of the voting public.

   Fifteen percent of statewide respondents said they paid a “great deal” of attention to reform discussion, while 28 percent said they paid “not very much” attention and 26 percent said they paid “almost none at all.”

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