Alabama's 109-year-old constitution remains intact from reformation after a resolution that would let citizens vote for reform was killed by the Alabama House of Representatives.
"The House voted to lay the resolution on the table," said Nan Ekberg, co-chair Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform. "Some members want the resolution to just go away, some really wanted to end the discussion so they could get onto other matters and some were confused about the vote."
Ekberg said the result of the vote may have seemed like a vote against the resolution, but said it was actually a vote in favor of continuing the discussion.
Wayne Flynt, distinguished University professor emeritus of history and editor of the Online Encyclopedia of Alabama, said the legislature is never going to vote for reform.
"The legislature is perfectly happy with this," Flynt said, "because they have become in essence the county commission of every county and mayor and city council of every town."
Rep. Demetrius Newton supports the resolution to reform the constitution, which hasn't been touched for over 100 years.
"Newton knows that the 1901 constitution was written by powerful white men with the intention of keeping control in their hands," Ekberg said. "The constitution was enacted fraudulently and in every way does not represent the Alabama we all know and love today."
Newton said Alabama's constitution is the longest in the country with more
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