This November there will four statewide and two local proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot. On behalf of the Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform (ACCR) and personally, Dr. John Cochran and I write to request your news coverage and editorial support for Amendment 4.
Amendment 4: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, to authorize the Legislature to recompile the Alabama Constitution and submit it during the 2022 Regular Session, and provide a process for its ratification by the voters of this state.
This amendment authorizes a process that will recompile the Alabama Constitution to remove redundancies, reorganize sections and remove illegal and outdated and no longer relevant language, including racist language. Substantive changes are prohibited. The final document, upon approval by the Legislature, will be submitted to the voters for ratification.
For your information and use, attached are four documents: Ballot Statement, ACCR Why? What? Who? When? Statement, ACCR Press Release, Op-Ed.
Since we have entered an election period in which absentee ballots may be a substantial part of the process, we request that you provide coverage of Amendment 4 at least two different times, one, after absentee ballots have been mailed, probably mid-September, and two, in late October or early November prior to the in-person Nov. 3 election.
We thank you in advance for your participation in this important decision for our State. If we can provide any additional information or be of any assistance, please let us know.
Gerald W. Johnson, AU Emeritus Professor of Political Science
John E. Cochran, Jr., AU Emeritus Professor of Aerospace Engineering