Ten statewide amendments included on November ballot

In addition to the local, state and federal offices that are on the Nov. 8 general election ballot, there will be 10 statewide amendments also.
One of the most significant amendments on the ballot will be Amendment 10, known as the amendment that would ratify the Constitution of Alabama of 2022.
If passed by the voters, this amendment would allow the 977 amendments to the 1901 Alabama Constitution to be reorganized into a more coherent document. It would remove racist provisions that have been repealed by either federal or state laws. The revised document would also remove language pertaining to a poll tax, and any other provisions that have subsequently been overturned by the state or federal governments.
More than 700 of the Alabama Constitution of 1901 amendments deal with provisions for only one county. These amendments were listed in chronological order in the Constitution, making the document an almost incomprehensible document for the average person to decipher.
The proposed Alabama Constitution of 2022 will place these county amendments into a separate volume that is organized by county and topic.
If passed, the Constitution of Alabama of 2022 would also, “renumber and place Constitutional amendments ratified before or on the same day as the Constitution of Alabama of 2022, based on a logical sequence and the particular subject or topic of the amendment.”
The Constitution of Alabama of 2022 does not change any existing laws or regulations, and the Constitution also does not change the Alabama legislature’s powers in any manner. For example, the state’s prohibition on gambling will remain unchanged, and can only be changed by the voters of the state approving a subsequent Constitutional amendment that will allow such a change.
Nine other amendments will also be on the ballot. Amendment One would create “Aniah’s Law.” The law would “provide that an individual is entitled to reasonable bail prior to conviction, unless charged with capital murder, murder, kidnapping in the first degree, rape in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree, sexual torture, domestic violence in the first degree, human trafficking in the first degree, burglary in the first degree, arson in the first degree, robbery in the first degree, terrorism when the specified offense is a Class A felony other than murder, and aggravated child abuse of a child under the age of six.”
Amendment Two would “authorize the state, a county, or a municipality to grant federal award funds or any other source of funding designated for broadband infrastructure by state law to public or private entities for providing or expanding broadband infrastructure.”
Amendment Three proposes “to require the Governor to provide notice to the Attorney General and to the victim’s family prior to granting a reprieve or commutation to a person sentenced to death, and to void the reprieve or commutation if the Governor fails to provide notice.”
Amendment Four proposes to provide “that the implementation date for any bill enacted by the Legislature in a calendar year in which a general election is to be held and relating to the conduct of the general election shall be at least six months before the general election.”
Amendment Five proposes “to delete a provision giving the probate court of each county general jurisdiction over orphan’s business.”
Amendment Six proposes to allow municipalities that are already allowed to collect a special property tax to use those tax dollars to directly “pay-as-you-go” for construction projects instead of going into debt.
Amendment Seven proposes to revise Amendment 772 of the 1901 Alabama Constitution  “to specify that all counties and municipalities may exercise the authority and powers granted by Amendment 772 to provide for economic and industrial development; to permit notice for Amendment 772 projects to be published in any newspaper in circulation in the county or municipality; and to ratify all actions and agreements of any county or municipality done under Amendment 772 unless subject to pending judicial proceedings on the date of adoption of this amendment.”
Amendment Eight relates only to Shelby County, and proposes an amendment to “bring certain privately owned sewer systems that use public right-of-ways of public roads under the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission under certain conditions.”
Amendment Nine pertains to Jefferson and Tuscaloosa counties and proposes “to bring certain privately owned sewer systems that use public right-of-ways of public roads in the city limits of Lake View under the jurisdiction of the Public Service Commission, beginning January 1, 2023 and ending December 31, 2027.”

To read the amendments in their entirety, click on the PDF file with this article.