Advocates Pushing Constitutional Reform

Chad Petr Accr Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform is starting a new campaign. “Bring It Back Home” seeks a new state constitution.

by Chad Petri

Published: Sat, October 24, 2009 - 8:33 pm CST Last Updated: Sat, October 24, 2009 - 8:37 pm CST

MOBILE, Alabama - With the thickness of a small town phonebook, some think Alabama’s constitution is too big.

“It takes an attorney to explain to the attorney how to read the constitution and how to implement the constitution,” says Interim Executive Director of Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform Audrey Salgado. Alabama Citizens for Constitutional reform is rolling out its "Bring it Back Home" campaign. They'll hold meetings in every Alabama county to spread the word about what they want changed. ACCR members say too much power is in the state legislature.

“Counties were not trusted in 1901 to act on their own, power was centralized,” says “Bring It Back Home” statewide director Bob Jones. Occasionally the entire state votes on a constitutional amendment that affects only one county.

“Amendment 440 authorizes Mobile County to regulate bingo games, really mobile county shouldn't have to go to Montgomery to ask for permission to do something like that,” says Lucy Tufts with the Mobile Chapter of ACCR. The group drafted a new mock state constitution back in August after its own convention. The Alabama Farmer's Federation is one of the largest groups that favor only minor constitutional reform. Their offices are closed on the weekend and e-mails to several federation members were not returned.

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