RILEY'S TAX PLAN: ALABAMA DIVIDED
By Latoiya Stout

Governor Bob Riley's $1.2 billion dollar tax plan, which was approved by the Legislature in June, is expected to generate new tax revenue to fill a $674 million deficit in the state's budgets and provide additional money for college scholarships for high school graduates with at least a B average. It is also expected to shift the tax burden off of low-income families with children. Alabama's tax programs are in dire need of improvement, and working families are definitely feeling the sting. So why is the state of Alabama divided on the decision to approve Riley's tax plan?

Many Alabamians feel that the state is already taxed enough and that his plan will hurt more than it will help. On the other hand, there is a large amount of people who believe that voting "yes" on September 9th to Riley's plan is only the beginning for a bright and promising future for the state of Alabama.

Surprisingly, the Alabama Democratic Party's executive committee board has endorsed Riley's tax and accountability package. The Democratic Party especially applauds the section of the plan that gives a tax break to lower income citizens of Alabama. "It's a rarity when we are able to put aside politics and come together as Alabamians," stated David Azbell, Riley's press secretary. Azbell also stated that this is one of those issues that rises above party politics for the betterment of our state as a whole.

The Republican governor wasn't surprised by the state Republican executive committee's 122-100 vote against his tax and accountability plan. However, he was surprised by the closeness of the vote. He said he didn't expect to have that much support within his party.

Riley stated that if voters do not approve his tax plan, he is left with no choice but to cut school funding and state programs and services. He emphasized that this cut could possibly lead to crowded classrooms, fewer officers in prisons that already suffer from overcrowding, and the release of some impoverished residents from nursing homes. Riley recently stated, "If you say 'no,' if you say 'get by on what you've got,' we've got to do what you say."



100 BLACK MEN OF BIRMINGHAM: PLAYING A ROLE IN INCREASING THE
VALUE OF THE COMMUNITY
By John O. Hudson, III

The success of industry is measured in numbers: net income, the value of a company's assets, the price of a share of stock. But how do you gauge the value of a community?

One possibility would be to try to measure what a community would be like with or without its leadership - the people, whether public officials or private citizens.

Part of what makes Birmingham so extraordinary, what makes our city so unique from other places, are the contributions of its people, past and present.

Under this premise, the 100 Black Men of Birmingham, Inc. is focused on increasing the value of the Birmingham community with its membership - more than 170 of Birmingham's most well-respected professionals and trusted community leaders - and with its programs and initiatives.

The non-profit organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life and enhancing educational opportunities for African-Americans in the Birmingham regional area. The organization is an affiliate of the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. and focuses on four principle areas: 1) Mentoring, 2) Education, 3) Economic Development, and 4) Health & Well-Being.

Notable members of the 100 Black Men of Birmingham, Inc. include Dr. Richard Arrington Jr., former mayor of the City of Birmingham and Voter
News Network's director for political affairs; J. Mason Davis, Jr., partner, Sirote & Permutt; and Jordan Frazier, President and CEO, Midfield Dodge.

Whether through youth mentoring, implementing educational programs, initiating economic development strategies or promoting health and
wellness initiatives, the 100 Black Men of Birmingham plan to engage in activities that increase the value of the community. The organization's first such event was held Tuesday, Aug. 19, when the 100 Black Men hosted its first annual Salute to Education Leaders Luncheon with
Governor Bob Riley as the guest speaker.

As education leaders across the city of Birmingham rang in a new school year, the 100 Black Men paused to thank them for the leadership role
they play in molding the young minds and inspiring our youth to greatness. During the luncheon, the 100 Black Men also announced the formation of a New Teacher Grant program that will fund grants for
teachers practicing in the classroom from one to three years. The grants are intended for the teachers to use to purchase supplies and materials
for their classrooms and will be awarded before classes are dismissed for Christmas break so the teacher can have the supplies on-hand at the
beginning of the 2004 school session.

To download a grant application, or to find out more information about the 100 Black Men of Birmingham, you can visit www.100bmba.org.

The luncheon and the grant program were public manifestations of the organization's strategy to make in impact on the community. However, the
people of Birmingham can anticipate several more high-profile 100 Black Men initiatives that will play a role in improving the quality of life in our city and increasing the value of our community.

In the end, we must ask ourselves if our leaders are making our community better or worse.

It is my hope that, over time, the citizens of Birmingham will tell you that one organization - the 100 Black Men of Birmingham - has made the
community better.

John O. Hudson, III is President and Chairman of the Board, 100 Black Men of Birmingham &
Assistant to the President and CEO of Alabama Power Company



OUTSPOKEN AND INDEPENDENT SOUTH AFRICAN POLITICIAN,
PATRICIA DELILLE MAKES HISTORICAL VISIT TO BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham, Ala., a city with a history of overcoming racial oppression just as South Africa has, welcomed one of South Africa's most popular and outspoken leaders.

South African Member of Parliament Patricia DeLille made a historic two-day visit to Birmingham.

Nichelle Gainey, Assistant Commissioner with the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), who along with Alamerica Bank founder Donald Watkins sponsored her trip and organized a series of receptions and meetings for DeLille, called her visit an important point in the city's history.

"DeLille's visit is a very important one for our city," says Gainey. "For the second time will we welcome a visit from the country's most popular figure - someone who represents the future and hope of South Africa".

More than 250 area Birmingham residents, including prominent business leaders and politicians, welcomed De Lille Wednesday night during a two-hour reception at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. She received a key to the city from Birmingham Mayor Bernard Kincaid and proclamations from Jefferson County commissioners and U.S. Representative Artur Davis, who represents part of Birmingham in Congress.

She also got a personal tour of the new $50 million Barber Motorsports Hall of Fame and Road Race Track near Birmingham by founder George Barber.

DeLille said she was intrigued by the similarities between Birmingham and South Africa. She was looking forward to visiting the Civil Rights Institute, which highlights how the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. led blacks in civil rights protests during the 1960s.

Like Birmingham, blacks in South Africa have moved from focusing on civil rights "to economic rights" to ensure everyone has equal opportunity to a higher quality of life, De Lille said.

DeLille's groundbreaking visit is important for Birmingham. Due to her immense popularity and political prowess, DeLille is poised to become the first woman to hold the position as Prime Minister of South Africa in 2008.

She represents a country whose economy grew faster than its population and is one of the world's most emerging economic markets. What makes DeLille fascinating is her reputation as a controversial, fiery figure in South African politics.

She is quoted as saying, "When my opponents attack me, I don't go crying in a corner like a little sissy. I just wait for the next opportunity and return the punch." Her more recent punch, her defection from the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), the party she has been a member of for 27 years, to form her own political party, the Independent Democrats (ID) will undoubtedly shake up the system.

DeLille doesn't shy away from controversy. She has survived years of death threats due to her strong stance on political corruption. She is endeared by the people of South Africa for her activism and her self appointed role as the "voice of the voiceless," fighting for the rights of women and children, victims of sexual crimes (her youngest sister was brutally raped and murdered), the poor and homeless, and HIV/AIDS positive people.

South Africa's favorite person, Nelson Mandela says, "She is a very strong, principled woman," and calls her his "favorite opposition politician."

Contributed :By Roy L. Williams
Staff writer, Birmingham News



THE CHRISTIAN COALITION OF ALABAMA
By Stephen Foster Black

I returned to my family's home state six years ago, committed to getting involved in public policy and state government. Since then, I have been advised that if I want to play a role in moving our state forward, I should be careful what I say about certain powerful interests in Alabama politics so as not to create enemies. Topping the list of groups I am warned not to cross is the Christian Coalition of Alabama. "There is such a strong sense of faith and moral values among Alabamians," I am told, "it would be unwise to publicly disagree with anything they say." I have decided that this is bad advice.
It is because so many Alabamians HAVE such powerful faith that I feel compelled to speak out against what seems to me an utter betrayal of these values by John Giles, spokesperson and executive director of the Christian Coalition of Alabama.

Christian Voter Scorecards
I was first made aware of the work of John Giles and the Christian Coalition of Alabama upon reading their Legislative Scorecard for the 1999 legislative session - a scorecard which claims to provide Alabama's faith communities with a grade for each legislator reflecting his or her "responsiveness to the concerns of Christians and other pro-family Alabamians." Noticing that every Democrat in the state senate received a failing grade while virtually every Republican received straight A's, I was a little suspicious and couldn't help but recall the words of long-time conservative Christian activist George Weigel, who stated that such "Christian voter scorecards tend to demean the Gospel by identifying it with a partisan agenda." Nevertheless, I was still curious to see the suggested basis upon which the Democrats (some of whom are ministers, deacons and Sunday school teachers) failed their Christian duties so completely. I was astonished to see that out of more than 1,500 votes cast on such important issues as education funding, nursing home care, childrens' health insurance and daycare safety standards, the entire basis upon which the state senators' "Christian values" were judged was 14 votes; 10 votes regarding the Education Lottery and 4 votes regarding video poker.

Out of all the pressing issues dealt with by the legislature dramatically impacting the children, seniors and working families of our state, the only ones that rise to the level of "Christian values" are lottery tickets and video games? Regardless of how one feels about these two subjects, to define the moral agenda facing this state in such a ridiculously narrow way employs the language of faith as nothing more than an excuse for divisiveness, and as a basis to further a shallow and partisan agenda.

Authentic faith in action, on the other hand, has the capacity to motivate, inspire and even bring people together across partisan and cultural dividing lines. Most importantly, authentic faith in action opens the door to biblical justice. Revealed to us by the Prophets of the Old Testament and Jesus Christ of the New Testament, is a justice that requires us to understand that every individual's life has depth and dignity, and everyone's health, education and potential to succeed are worth fighting for. We owe others this duty because they are part of God's creation, and are therefore worthy of our struggle. This notion thunders out from the Bible in a hundred different places - the health and well-being of our own souls can never be independent of the health and well-being of our neighbor.

Failure to Recognize Duty to Do Justice
My second exposure to John Giles came from reading his public letter attacking Susan Pace Hamill, a University of Alabama Law Professor, whose Beeson Divinity School Thesis has received much attention in recent months. In her thesis, Hamill argues that Alabama's tax structure, by placing an incredibly heavy burden on working families and the poor, fails even to come close to meeting the moral demand that God has revealed for us in the Bible - the demand for each of us to "do justice" in our lives. After questioning Hamill's personal credibility to write such a document, Giles attacks her thesis by stating that "nowhere in scripture does it state that the government is responsible for the poor, it is the duty of the church."

In such a response, Mr. Giles has missed the point - a point which is one of the biggest we face as citizens of faith. Not only is it impossible for religious organizations to take up the whole burden of social policy within the four walls of a church, (this includes education, healthcare, Social Security, affordable housing, etc.), but a merely private charitable approach to social policy would be an affront to the Bible, which calls kings, rulers and governments to be accountable to the demands of justice. Our faith communities cannot, in good conscience, merely be service providers to the poor, but must also take on a more prophetic role. A commitment to biblical justice stresses the need to go beyond acts of individual charity to confront structural wrongs. When our state tax structure places an unfair burden on the working poor, while countless children remain uninsured and thousands of our seniors are unable to afford prescription drugs, people of faith should feel a duty to act. We all have a duty to make what is legal more moral.

The TRUTH About Alabama Taxes and Education?
Mr. Giles and the Coalition's most recent contribution to our state's political dialogue - and the main reason I decided to write this editorial - is their opposition to Governor Riley's Accountability and Tax Reform Package. Although one could make an honest argument both for and against Riley's Plan (I believe the more persuasive argument is in favor of the plan), what is entirely unacceptable and damaging to our state is the deceptive way in which Mr. Giles and the Coalition present their case against Riley's Plan. As the basis for their opposition to Riley's Plan, they have distributed a packet of materials, also available on their web site, entitled "The TRUTH About Alabama Taxes and Education." The problem with the Coalition's version of the "TRUTH" is that it is incomplete and deceptive. The most glaring deception is their chart entitled "Education Expenditures in the Southeast," in which all 12 Southeastern states are listed along with the total level of federal and state dollars spent on K-12 education in each state. In bold letters across the bottom of the chart, the claim is made that "Only 4 States in the Southeast outspent Alabama in Education in 2000 and 2001." Completely meaningless! Without accounting for population, this information is useless and, more importantly, deceptive. Of course we spend more total dollars on education than Arkansas - we have twice the population of Arkansas. When you make the relevant comparison of spending per pupil, one sees that Alabama spends less than every state in the country but one. We are not in the middle of pack. We are 49th.

We Need Leadership, Not Scare Tactics
Witnessing his polarizing attacks, deceptive arguments and shallow judgments, it is clear to me that Mr. Giles doesn't realize that our faith communities contribute most to our politics not by stirring moral indignation, but by awakening individual conscience. The difference is critical. Moral indignation prompts us to condemn others; conscience drives us to question our own responsibility for a just society. The great movements of progress in our Nation's past have come from an awakening of conscience. The voices of faith fighting to stop child labor, to obtain voting rights for women and minorities, and to start a system of social security for seniors - those voices considered taking action not only justified but required by their consciences.

A recent poll stated that close to 85% of Alabamians say that religion is very important in their lives. I'm proud to live in a state where faith is so important to so many people. I know that when not being manipulated and twisted for politically self-serving purposes, our best religious impulses can challenge us to be the kind of people we really want to be, and inspire us to create the kind of state in which we want to live.

Please Mr. Giles, think a little more about justice, conscience, inspiration and leadership. Alabama will be better served.

Stephen Foster Black is a Birmingham attorney
and an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama - teaching a class in the fall: "Justice and Civil Society"
sblack@mcglaw.com

VOTER NEWS NETWORK SUPPORTS AMENDMENT ONE

Birmingham, Alabama -- Voter News Network, a news source for independent voters, today adopted an analytical report supporting passage of Amendment One. The report was prepared by the Birmingham-based consulting and polling firm, Jennro, LLC. The report was developed for Jennro, LLC by Richard Arrington, Jr., President, Dr. George Munchus, Professor of Business - UAB, and Dr. James Slack, Professor and Chairman of Department of Government - UAB, all of whom are experts in governmental finance and taxation.

The consultants performed a critical review of voluminous documents and records in support of and in opposition to the Amendment. After their review, the consultants "strongly recommended" that VNN support Governor Riley's tax reform initiative. The strongest point made by opponents to Governor Riley's tax program was that the $1.2 billion expected to be raised by passage of Amendment One is more than the amount the state needs to meet a projected $675 million deficit. The opponents claim that this is "an over-kill" on taxpayers. Merely meeting the $675 million deficit maintains the status quo for Alabamians at the bottom of the quality of life scale among states.

The report cites five major reasons for supporting passage of the Amendment. They found that the tax reform package proposed by Governor Riley would provide the people of Alabama with:

· Greater State Government Efficiency
· Greater State Government Effectiveness
· A Giant Step Towards State Government Reform
· A Fair Structure
· Hope For The Poor And Vision For The Middle Class

The report also noted the Amendment faces an uphill battle. The poll conducted by Jennro pollsters between August 22 - 25, 2003 of 500 likely voters in Alabama showed that 48% opposed the plan while 32% would vote for the referendum. Twenty percent were undecided. The margin of error for this poll was ± 4%. Riley's plan continues to build support among black voters, with 39% now saying they favor the plan.

REPORT OF JENNRO, LLC TO VOTER NEWS NETWORK ON ALABAMA'S PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL, AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE, APPLYING TO THE STATE AT LARGE

PREPARED AND SUBMITTED BY:

Richard Arrington, Jr., PhD
President
Jennro, LLC
2170 Highland Avenue, Ste. 100
Birmingham, AL 35205

George Munchus, PhD
James D. Slack, PhD
Birmingham, Alabama

August 28, 2003

REPORT OF JENNRO, LLC TO VOTER NEWS NETWORK ON ALABAMA'S PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL, AMENDMENT NUMBER ONE, APPLYING TO THE STATE AT LARGE

I. INTRODUCTION

On September 9, 2003 Alabama voters face an important voter referendum aimed at addressing one of Alabama's most serious problems - creating a viable and fair state taxation and accountability system. Voter News Network (VNN), consistent with its commitment of serving as a political information forum and a source of information for "independent voters", has requested JennRo to assist it with educating voters about the proposed Amendment One, which if approved, would establish "The Alabama Excellence Initiative Fund" into which would flow all of the tax funds generated by the eighteen (18) legislative bills that are part of the Amendment One proposal. Voters will be given the opportunity in a single "yes" or "no" vote to approve or reject all 18 items contained in the Amendment. The specific tasks for the consultant panel of JennRo were (1) analyze the arguments on both sides of the issue and render a decision as to the merits of the arguments and the research data supporting them, (2) recommend a position that VNN should take on the Amendment and (3) to recommend how the ten Political Action Committees (PACs) of VNN can most effectively use up to $200,000 of their available funds to support the VNN position.

There is a great wealth of information available to the public on the proposed Amendment, setting forth the positions of supporters and opponents of the Amendment. In fact, it is the complexity of an 18-issue Amendment and the voluminous amount of data supplied in support or opposition to the Amendment that suggest the need for voters to be well informed as they go to the polls on September 9. JennRo consultants have compiled and reviewed most of the information available to the public. In addition to reviewing the findings of two voter-preference polls, JennRo has completed it own voters' survey or poll on the Amendment.

The members of the Consultant Panel: James D. Slack, PhD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Government at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; George Munchus, PhD, Professor of Business at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Director, Center For Research and Advocacy on African-American Entrepreneurship; and Richard Arrington, Jr., PhD, former Mayor of the City of Birmingham, former Visiting Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Visiting Professor in Government at Miles College and President of the Consulting Firm, JennRo, LLC.

II. ALABAMA TODAY

Alabama is a State rich in natural resources. It has an abundance of water resources, coal deposits, timber and farmland. But as is well known, in nearly every evaluation/study of the indicators generally used to assess the quality of life factors, Alabama ranks at or near the bottom. In the national competition for who provides a good quality of life, Alabama trails its sister states. Even when Alabama has earned national recognition for leadership in some areas, such as its nationally recognized Reading Initiative Program, its lack of adequate funding has hampered the implementation of the program throughout its public school system.

Report after report over the past couple of decades has pointed out weaknesses of Alabama's tax revenue and accountability system. In the 1990s two Alabama Tax Reform Committees set forth recommendations for improving Alabama's Tax System. None of their proposals have been adopted to date.

Alabama's Tax Revenue System and consequently a large percentage of its people, has been hampered by an antiquated and unfair Tax System characterized by the lowest tax revenue among states, the lowest property tax, excessive earmarking of available tax funds, under-funding of schools, nursing homes, senior programs, healthcare, mental health, prisons and other essential state services. Alabama has one of the nation's most regressive tax systems.

The September 9, 2003 Amendment One tax reform election is indeed a major crossroad for the people of Alabama!

III. GOVERNOR RILEY'S PROPOSED TAX AND ACCOUNTABILITY AMENDMENT

The wording of the official ballot for the September 9, 2003 election reads as follows:

OFFICIAL BALLOT
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT ELECTION
STATE OF ALABAMA
SEPTEMBER 9, 2003

"Shall the following be adopted to the Constitution of Alabama"?
PROPOSED AMENDMENT WHICH APPLIES TO THE STATE AT LARGE

PROPOSED STATEWIDE AMENDMENT

"Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, establishing the Alabama Excellence Initiative Fund which may be used to fund programs including, but not limited to, the furtherance of excellence in public education, college scholarships, health care benefits for senior citizens and job training program to attract new high paying jobs and otherwise provide for distributing state tax revenues; to adjust income and property taxes; to establish the General Fund Rainy Day Account; to provide for the replenishment of the General Fund Rainy Day Account and the Education Trust Fund Rainy Day Account".
Proposed by Act No. 2003-78

YES

NO

IV. RECOMMENDATION

After a careful review of the information available on amendment one and the research supporting arguments for and against amendment, the consultant staff strongly recommends that VNN support Amendment One! Our reasons for this recommendation are as follows:

Simply stated, Amendment One provides:
A. Funding necessary to help improve the quality of life for all Alabamians;
B. Taxing only those who can most afford it; and
C. Assurance that politicians will not "misuse" the funds provided.

In greater detail, Amendment One provides:
A. Accountability reform that prevents waste and mismanagement of our tax dollars;
B. Education Reform, including holding our educators accountable for their actions; and
C. Tax reform which rids Alabama of its regressive tax system and fairly taxes the large corporations and land owners.

Listed below are specific examples of how Amendment One will achieve the above results:

· Sixty-seven percent of Alabamians will pay the same or lower state income taxes
· Now a family of four must pay state income taxes starting at $4,600 earning. Under the proposed plan this same family pays no state tax on the first $19,000 of income.
· Provides significant tax relief by raising child exemptions for families.
· Pension and social security income that are currently tax-exempt will continue to be completely exempt under the proposed Amendment.
· If your family annual income is $40,000 or less your taxes will be cut.
· If your home is valued at $50,000 or less your property tax on the home drops to zero (no tax).
· If you are 65 years old or older you will pay no tax on the Alabama home you live in.
· How will the projected $1.2 billion be used? $675 million will cover our deficits for health care, public safety and prisons. $344milion goes for education to support programs including Alabama Reading Initiative, College Scholarships and support for our local schools. County law enforcement, schools and senior citizens programs will get $104 million.

Those who oppose Governor Riley's tax and accountability program make the following claims:

· That Alabama's much maligned and unfair regressive tax system that unfairly taxes low incomes provides an incentive for more economic development. We find no data that support this contention.
· That Alabama schools already receive adequate funds, which are mis-managed. The President of A-Plus, a program for education reform, calls this claim false, listing several educational programs that are currently inadequately funded.
· That the $1.2 billion expected to be raised by the passage of Amendment One is more than the state needs to meet a projected $675 million deficit. They say that this is "an over-kill" on taxpayers. Yet if one bears in mind that $675 million will only enable us to maintain the status quo of being at the bottom of the quality of life scale among states, we readily see the need for more than $675 million. The $675 million only "plugs the broken dam" and defers the crisis until next year. Alabama needs to move up the quality of life scale not remain stuck on the lowest rung of the ladder.

In summary we believe that passage of Amendment One means:

A. Greater State Government Efficiency. The $1.2 billion package will allow Alabama public agencies to compete more readily with their counterparts in securing federal and private sector grants for needed public services that require matching state funds. We estimate that a minimum of $10 million is potentially lost among 37 state agencies and departments as a result of insufficient funds to match available federal grants. The amount is probably greater if limitations of the majority of Alabama schools and human resource agencies are considered.

B. Greater State Government Effectiveness. While most States earmark about 20 percent of state budgets, Alabama earmarks well over 85 percent. This prevents state government from having the ability to address new crises in a business-like manner. No successful company would tie its budgetary hands to prevent the flexibility needed to meet new challenges, heighten productivity, and create additional wealth for the stockholder. The same is true for state government. Diffused distrust in government, albeit justified in far too many instances in Alabama, is counter-productive to professional management of public concern.

C. A Giant Step Towards State Government Reform. The accountability dimensions of Amendment One are sufficient to hold elected state official's "feet to the fire." It also opens the door to further reforms down the road - reforms that most state and local governments in the United States underwent a century ago. The accountability reforms in Amendment One is the first step in returning trust to government in Alabama.

D. A Fair Structure. According to the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, a non-profit and non-partisan organization, Amendment One would remove the high tax burden on low-income families, an issue in Alabama for many years. Even with the passage of Amendment One, "Alabama's taxes will remain among the lowest in the U.S."

E. Hope For The Poor And Vision For The Middle Class. Amendment One will begin the democratic process that changes the political power equation in the state. It will decrease the amount of fiscal power held by the very rich and increase the fiscal power of the poor and middle classes. This will make their votes more meaningful in the future and bring about the opportunity for greater hope and vision for the middle class in Alabama.

V. RECOMMENDED STRATEGIES FOR VNN IN SUPPORT OF AMENDMENT ONE

An examination of recent voter preference polls on Amendment one suggests what the strategy for supporters of the amendment must be, if there is to be any realistic chance of success.

THE POLLS. A July, 2003 poll of 500 likely voters (conducted for The Birmingham News and Fox 6) showed that approval of the referendum trailed 49% to 39%, with 12 % of those polled undecided. Support for the amendment was stronger among black voters (44%) than white voters (38%). Blacks make up 32.5% of the total Alabama voters.

Two polls conducted by The Mobile Register and the University of South Alabama on August 3 and August 17 showed almost identical results. According to those polls, 52% of the 828 voters surveyed opposed the referendum and 27% favored it. Interestingly, the voters in the economic classes that would probably benefit most from approval of the amendment showed more opposed to it than supporting it. One might assume that these voters might be persuaded to support the amendment if they better understood the benefits that could accrue to them. Yet others might argue that these voters don't trust legislators to deliver on the promises, even if the amendment passes.

A VNN poll conducted by JennRo pollsters between August 22 - 25 of 500 likely voters in Alabama showed that the Tax and Accountability Referendum still faces an uphill battle. Forty-eight percent oppose the plan while 32 percent would vote for the referendum. Twenty percent were undecided. The margin of error for this poll was ± 4%. Riley's plan continues to build support among black voters, with 39 percent saying that they now favor the plan. Most of Alabama's black legislators have indicated strong support for the plan. Voters were not surveyed by income categories. They were only asked if they were likely to vote in The September 9 referendum, and if they had to vote today, would they vote yes, for the plan or no, against the plan.

Based on the results of the known surveys/polls, the strategy for supporters of the referendum becomes clear - work for a large pro-amendment turnout using targeting and tracking data to know where the support is located and where to wage the GOTV efforts. A strong GOTV phone bank plan from September 5 through September 9 is an essential component of the plan. A large black voter turnout could push Riley's program over, Since political campaigns in Alabama's black community are historically driven by black political organizations like the Alabama Democratic Council, The Progressive Democratic Council, The Metropolitan Democratic Women, The Alabama New South Coalition, The Jefferson County Citizens Coalition, The Bessemer Civic League and Concerned Citizens, The Fairfield Democratic Women, etc., the active support of these organizations along with the push from black ministers become critical. It will not be enough for these groups to just endorse the plan and pass out sample ballots. Each one must be contacting black voters from September 5 - 9, urging them to vote.

On election day their volunteers need to be visible on the streets with their Ride-To-The -Polls vehicles and public announcement systems. It would be wise if their volunteers who are assigned specific areas to work are given a projected minimum number of voters they must get to the polls on September 9.

There should be no question that a major catalyst for voter turnout in the black community is the activity of these black political organizations and churches. Without these black political organizations actively participating in each election - sometimes competing with one another - Alabama black voter turnout would probably decrease 50 percent. Throughout their existence these organizations have educated black voters on the issues and stirred them up enough to go to the polls.

VI. WHERE SHOULD VNN PUT ITS RESOURCES?

The political action committees (PACs) of VNN would be wise to put its resources into GOTV activities, especially in the black community. We recommend that black political organizations be urged to submit to VNN a brief, no more than a single page, GOTV plan containing the projected number of voters they will work to get to the polls and how and where, and the amount of financial resources needed to successfully implement their GOTV plans. Based on the merit VNN sees in the plans it would contribute some of VNN's financial resources to those groups. The application process for VNN funds could be down loaded from the VNN website.

Richard Arrington, Jr.
President
Jennro, LLC
2170 Highland Avenue, Ste. 100
Birmingham, AL 35205
(205) 410-0388
August 28, 2003