Constitution of Alabama

The is the basic governing document of the U.S. state of Alabama. It was adopted in 1901 and is the sixth constitution that the state has had.

At 310,296 words, the document is 12 times longer than the average state constitution, 40 times longer than the U.S. Constitution, and is the longest constitution still operative anywhere in the world. The English version of the Constitution of India, the longest national constitution, is about 117,369 words long, a third of the length of Alabama's.

The constitution gives the Alabama Legislature the power to administer most counties directly, with only a few counties having even limited home rule. This supported provisions that essentially disenfranchised most blacks and poor whites, and further limited local autonomy. As a result, about 90 percent of the document's length, as of 2015, comes from its 892 amendments. About 75 percent of the amendments cover only a single county or city, and some deal with salaries of specific officials (e.g. Amendment 480 and the Greene County probate judge). This gives Alabama a large number of constitutional officers. It also makes it very difficult for residents of counties to solve their own problems. The constitution is the most amended in the world.

The Preamble runs:

Alabama has had six constitutions to date, all established via State Conventions: 1819 (converting Alabama Territory into a State), 1861 (Secession), 1865 (Reconstruction), 1868 (Reconstruction), 1875 (ending Reconstruction), and, from 1901, the current document.

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