Legislative Wrap-Up, 1114 ALBJ, 75 The Alabama Lawyer 412 (2014)

• Author: Othni J. Lathram, J.

LEGISLATIVE WRAP-UP

Vol. 75 No. 6 Pg. 412

Alabama Bar Lawyer

November, 2014

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0 Othni J. Lathram, J.

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0For more information about the institute, visit www.ali.state.al.us.

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Elections in Alabama

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0It's election time again. While we have elections nearly every even year for some offices, every four years the citizens of Alabama have the opportunity to elect all state executive office and legislative offices. This means that as you receive this issue of The Alabama Lawyer, the state will be preparing to elect its governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor and commissioner of agriculture. Additionally, all 140 members of the Alabama Legislature will stand for election. The direction the state will take over the next four years will be determined, in large measure, by the outcome of these elections.

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0Additionally, there will be five proposed statewide amendments to the Alabama Constitution of 1901 appearing on the ballot this year. Over the past several years there has been much written in this space about our constitution, our methods of amending it and efforts over years at reforming it. None of these five amendments were recommended through any systematic process of review or process, but, rather, each was proposed in the legislature, considered, passed and is now on the ballot for consideration by the citizens of the state. A majority of people voting on each amendment voting in the affirmative is necessary for ratification.

\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0\xA0This year there is a new tool available for those interested in reading up on the proposed amendments appearing on the ballot. During the 2014 session, the Alabama Legislature created the Fair Ballot Commission through passage of Act 2014-399. Sponsored by Rep. Steve McMillan and Sen. Trip Pittman, this legislation is geared toward providing interested voters an opportunity to have ready access to plain language information about each statewide constitutional amendment prior to its being voted on. The commission is comprised of the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house, commissioner of agriculture and secretary of state. Additionally, each of these officers appoints one attorney and one non-attorney to the commission. Finally, the schools of...