| Home | Resources | News/Media | Events | Get Involved | Contribute | About Us | Archives | Students |
Open Secret
ACCR is pleased to announce the release of the re-enactment film, Open Secret. A film by Melanie Jeffcoat, Open Secret is taken from actual transcripts from Alabama's 1901 Constitutional Convention where delegates openly discussed the disenfranchisement of blacks and poor whites, as well as the dismissal of the women's right to vote. Read more, see screening dates, and order a DVD
2010 Legislative Session
Update:
Constitutional convention legislation waits to be introduced in the Senate and re-introduced in the House this 2010 Legislative Session.
Senate Bill 177 and Senate Resolution SJR42 remain in the Rules Committee, waiting to be placed on the floor of the Senate. But HJR 54 has been tabled and waits to be reintroduced into the House.
In addition, a survey sent to all legislators was returned to ACCR showing that the overwhelming majority of those who responded, said "yes" to the question:
Do you believe that Alabama voters should be able to vote on whether or not to hold a constitutional convention in Alabama?
Click here to read the entire article »
Click here for House Joint Resolution 54 »
Click here for Senate Joint Resolution 42 »
Click here for Senate Bill 177 »
Click here to see past Resolutions »
WHAT'S WRONG WITH ALABAMA'S CONSTITUTION?
Click here to find
out »
WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?
The first step is to convince our legislators to allow bills or resolutions to pass that will allow citizens to write a new constitution.... something Alabama has done six times before.
We applaud the following Representatives for voting in favor of allowing the bill to be debated and the potential of allowing the people’s voices to be heard. Click here to see names of legislators who voted for the past BIR and those who voted against it.
 |
| Click here to find your local ACCR Chapter! |
HERE'S WHAT THE MEDIA IS SAYING...
The Randolph Leader
March 3, 2010
Alabama's constitution was created in 1901 and now has 836 amendments, making it by far the largest such document in the country. Another 25 amendments will be on the ballot this fall, many of them strictly local issues that should not require a constitutional amendment or a statewide vote.
Under our 1901 constitution, we are not allowed to change it unless our legislators allow us to vote on it, which they have been unwilling to do. A majority of them like things the way they are since the constitution puts all the power in their hands.
Editorial: State Constitution suits lawmakers just fine
The Dothan Eagle
February 25, 2010
There are many in Alabama whose faith in the legislative process is such that they firmly believe the state would be better governed by 140 lawmakers chosen at random from a stack of telephone books.
There are also times when such sarcasm begins to sound ... well ... reasonable.
This week is one of those times.
The Birmingham News
February 25, 2010
The Alabama House on Tuesday tabled a bill that would let voters decide whether to allow a citizens convention to write a new state constitution. Supporters of a new Alabama constitution are a well-mannered bunch. They are prone to polite petitions, reading the endless document in public, holding mock conventions to draft a better fundamental charter, and such.
Otherwise, they'd take to the House of Representatives gallery today, brandishing signs with not-so-clever messages like "Impeach Rep. Adolf Hitler," and shouting down lawmakers for not allowing the people of Alabama to vote on the issue.
Bill to rewrite constitution killed
The Montgomery Advertiser
February 24, 2010
Click here to view article
The Anniston Star Editorial Board
February 24, 2010
Every once in a while, Alabamians need a reminder about the priorities on Goat Hill.
Tuesday, that reminder arrived with a thud.
Despite so many reasons to support constitutional reform — unfair taxation and concentrated power in Montgomery, for starters — the state House again screamed no. Same story, same disappointment.
Let the people decide what's best for them
The Daily Home
February 14, 2010
The evidence was right there in the headline of a Birmingham newspaper: “City manager bill gets 31-0 Senate approval.”
A local community wanted to change its form of government to allow a city manager to run the day-to-day operation. All the Vestavia City Council wanted was a professional manager to run its multi-million dollar operation. It sounded reasonable because it was.
The part of this story that’s unreasonable is that the city council had to ask lawmakers in Montgomery for permission. That’s right.
Constitution no laughing matter. Residents should demand action by legislators
By The Gadsden Times
January 11, 2010
Picking on the number of amendments in Alabama’s constitution is almost too easy. That the constitution has some 827 amendments already is indicative of problems with the constitution, but the real issue is more about how power is centralized in Montgomery.
Twenty-five amendments are on the ballots this year with most of them being local amendments.
Three are statewide and one of them illustrates the absurdity of how Alabama’s government is structured.
In November, state voters will decide if the propane gas industry can charge its members a fee to be used to promote the industry.
As the kids say, really?
Interview on constitutional reform with Artur Davis on WBHM-90.3FM (Birmingham)
Friday, November 13, 2009
By The Birmingham News Editorial Board
November 11, 2009, 5:32AM
How's this for irony?
Today, we pay tribute to veterans for their service to our country and for fighting to protect our freedoms. Today is also the day 108 years ago that Alabama voters ratified a state constitution which stripped away one of the most essential of our freedoms -- the right to vote -- from blacks and poor whites.
Nov. 11 is a day to honor veterans, but it is also a day to dishonor a constitution that prevented hundreds of thousands of blacks and poor whites from voting for decades. To top it off, the 1901 Constitution was approved only with the help of massive voter fraud.
The story is well-documented by historians.
Can 1901
Constitution affect race for governor?
By Bob
Blalock -- The Birmingham News
October 25, 2009, 5:45AM
Is U.S. Rep. Artur Davis crazy like a fox? Or just crazy?
The question comes to mind after reading an Associated Press story in The News on Tuesday that Davis is the only one of eight major gubernatorial candidates in both political parties who supports letting a convention of citizens write a new constitution for Alabama.
© 2010
Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform
Post Office Box 10746
Birmingham, AL 35202-0746
accr@constitutionalreform.org