The Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama has published a report analyzing proposals that will be on the ballot on Nov. 8, including the proposed Constitution of Alabama of 2022, which is a recompiled version of the Constitution of 1901.

There are 10 statewide amendments on the ballot, plus 19 others that will appear on ballots in the counties where they would apply.

PARCA does not make recommendations or endorsements on the proposals but explains their impact and the legislation that put them on the ballot. PARCA is a nonprofit organization that works to improve state and local government in Alabama through independent, nonpartisan research. PARCA, Leadership Alabama, and Samford University hosted a discussion last week on the proposed recompilation of the Constitution of 1901. That program was livestreamed and is available on YouTube.

Alabama’s 1901 Constitution, which was designed to preserve white supremacy, has been amended 977 times. Voters approved the process of recompiling it in 2019.

Changes in the recompilation were limited to four categories: remove racist language; delete duplicative and repealed sections; consolidate economic development provisions; and arrange local amendments by county. The Legislative Services Agency drafted the proposed Constitution of 2022 with help from an advisory council. Legislators voted earlier this year to send it to the ballot for voters.

You can read the recompiled constitution and documents about how it was developed on the Legislature’s website.

Read the PARCA report.