About the amendments on all Alabama
ballots on November 8, 2022
Facebook post - Alabama Amendments

There are ten amendments and a recompilation of the Alabama Constitution on which Alabama voters will be asked to vote "yes" or "no" when they cast their ballot in the November 8th General Election. To receive a personalized ballot that includes these ballot measures, Alabama voters should go to Vote411.org, click "Find What's on Your Ballot", and enter their home address. Vote411.org is a voter education project of the League of Women Voters Education Fund. The Alabama ballot amendment language that is included in the Vote411 system was developed by the Fair Ballot Commission for the Alabama Secretary of State. The statement on Vote411.org includes the text that you will see on your ballot, sponsors and cosponsors, a plain language summary of the measure, the cost to tax payers if it passes, what will happen if the measure passes, and what will happen if it doesn't pass.

As an advocacy service for the voters of Alabama, the League of Women Voters of Alabama (LWVAL) has reviewed the proposed ballot measures against LWV of the United States and LWVAL issue positions and principles and identified which ones we support or oppose. We have taken no position on some of the amendments.

The LWV Alabama presents the following recommendations for the Alabama 2022 General Election ballot measures:
 

  • Constitution of Alabama of 2022: If passed, this ballot measure would adopt the recompiled Alabama Constitution which removes racist language, cleans up the document such that prior changes are easier to read and understand, and will provide a more transparent framework for future changes. It is a step in the right direction to ensuring the Alabama Constitution protects people in the exercise of their civil liberties. Also, it could enable future improvements in the Alabama Constitution in the areas of taxation and home rule. The LWVAL supports this recompilation of the Alabama Constitution.

  • Amendment 1: Creates Aniah's Law related to bail restrictions. The LWVAL takes no position on Amendment 1.

  • Amendment 2: Broadband Infrastructure. The League supports having expanded access to information shared on the internet to enable better access to educational information and civic engagement. This would allow easier access to public information in communities that do not have high speed internet. The LWVAL supports Amendment 2.

  • Amendment 3: Notification of victim's family for commuted death penalty sentences.  The LWVAL takes no position on Amendment 3. 

  • Amendment 4: Election Law Changes within six months of a general election. This amendment, if passed, would add a law to the state Constitution which would make it illegal for the State Legislature to help local election officials make voting safe and secure for aged, disabled, and immune compromised citizens if we have another pandemic state of emergency like we had in 2020.  This amendment would block the legislature from responding to emergencies within six months of a general election. The LWVAL opposes Amendment 4.

  • Amendment 5: Deletes the outdated/obsolete terminology of Orphan’s Business. This amendment would remove an obsolete term which will make the probate court more transparent. The LWVAL supports Amendment 5.

  • Amendment 6: Local Municipality Advalorum taxes - This amendment encourages citizen participation in government decision-making. When locally elected officials make decisions on how to spend tax revenues, they are much more likely to include local voters in the decision process. The LWVAL supports Amendment 6.

  • Amendment 7 -  Elimination of requirement to use largest distribution newspapers for advertising Economic and Industrial Development.  The LWV AL opposes this amendment based on the citizen’s Right to Know what their government is doing (or planning to do).  This amendment will allow less transparency in government decision-making, because it will allow the publication of notices in obscure publications. Incidentally, it also allows for favoritism toward individual publications, because the publications that publish usually get paid for the publication. As it is, the requirement to use the publication with the largest circulation is totally objective. The LWVAL opposes Amendment 7.

  • Amendment 8: Private Sewer (Shelby County) - The LWVAL believes that communities should have the right of Home Rule so that measures such as this can be decided by local government.  The LWVAL takes no position on Amendment 8.

  • Amendment 9: Private Sewer (Jefferson and Tuscaloosa Counties) - The LWVAL believes that communities should have the right of Home Rule so that measures such as this can be decided by local government.  The LWVAL takes no position on Amendment 9.

  • Amendment 10: Continue to keep the Constitution updated if the Constitution of Alabama of 2022 Amendment passes - The LWV Alabama supports this amendment because it supports government transparency.  The Alabama Constitution needs to be updated regularly after ballot amendments are passed to prevent it from again becoming a cluttered mess of revised, unincorporated changes. The LWVAL supports Amendment 10.

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