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Government
Constitution of Alabama was adopted in 1901. The state had five earlier constitutions, adopted in 1819, 1861, 1865, 1868, and 1875.
An amendment to the Constitution may be proposed either by the Alabama Legislature or by a constitutional convention. An amendment proposed by the Legislature must be approved by three-fifths of the members in each house. Then it must receive the approval of a majority of the electors voting on the issue. Alabama's Constitution has been amended over 600 times, the most of any state constitution.
A majority of the members of each house of the Alabama Legislature and a majority of the voters must approve calling a constitutional convention. An amendment proposed by the convention must be approved by a majority of the people voting on the issue in an election.
Executive. The governor of Alabama is elected to a four-year term. This official can serve more than one term. However, the governor is not allowed to serve three terms in a row. Alabama's other top executive officials include the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, auditor, treasurer, and commissioner of agriculture and industries. Each of these officials is elected to a four-year term.
Legislature consists of a Senate of 35 members and a 105-member House of Representatives. Each of Alabama's 35 senatorial districts elects one senator. Each of the state's 105 representative districts elects one member to the House of Representatives. Senators and representatives serve four-year terms.
The Alabama Legislature holds regular sessions each year. These sessions may not last longer than 105 days, and the Legislature may not meet as a whole on more than 30 of these days. Sessions begin in January during the first year of the legislative term, in February during the second and third years, and in April during the fourth year.
Courts. The highest court in Alabama is the state Supreme Court. It has a chief justice and eight associate justices, and they are all elected to six-year terms. The Court of Criminal Appeals has five judges, and the Court of Civil Appeals has five judges. These judges also are all elected to six-year terms. Lower courts in Alabama include a circuit court, district court, probate court, and municipal courts.
Local government. Alabama has 67 counties. Each is governed by a board of commissioners. The boards are known officially as county commissions. In most counties, the chief official is the probate judge. The probate judge is elected to a six-year term. Other county officials include the sheriff, district attorney, superintendent of education, engineer, tax assessor, and tax collector.
Most Alabama municipalities have a mayor-council form of government. A few cities operate under a city-manager plan. Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa have mayor-council governments. Most small cities and towns also operate under the mayor-council plan.
Revenue. Taxation provides about half of Alabama's general revenue (income). Most of the rest comes from federal grants and interest earned on public accounts. The main sources of tax revenue are personal and corporate income taxes, and general sales and use taxes. Other major sources of tax revenue include taxes on alcoholic beverages, insurance premiums, motor fuels, and public utilities. Taxes are also assessed for motor vehicle licenses and business licenses.
Politics. As in other Southern states, most candidates elected to national, state, and local offices in Alabama have been Democrats. Most of Alabama's major state and local political battles have traditionally been waged in primary elections for the Democratic nomination. But since the mid-1900's, Alabamians have elected a number of Republican candidates to local offices and to the Congress of the United States. In 1986, Guy Hunt became the first Republican to be elected governor of Alabama since the early 1870's.
Until the 1960's, Alabama voters usually supported Democratic presidential candidates. But in 1964, the state voted for Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona, the Republican candidate. It was the first time since 1872 that the state of Alabama supported a Republican presidential candidate. Since 1980, the Republican candidate has won Alabama's electoral votes in each presidential election. For Alabama's electoral votes and voting record in presidential elections since 1820.
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