Editing Alabama (section)

=== Politics ===
During Reconstruction following the American Civil War, Alabama was occupied by federal troops of the [[Third Military District]] under [[John Pope (general)|General John Pope]]. In 1874, the political coalition of white Democrats known as the [[Redeemers]] took control of the state government from the Republicans, in part by suppressing the black vote through violence, fraud, and intimidation. After 1890, a coalition of White Democratic politicians passed laws to segregate and disenfranchise African American residents, a process completed in provisions of the 1901 constitution. Provisions which disenfranchised blacks resulted in excluding many poor Whites. By 1941 more Whites than Blacks had been disenfranchised: 600,000 to 520,000. The total effects were greater on the black community, as almost all its citizens were disfranchised and relegated to separate and unequal treatment under the law.

From 1901 through the 1960s, the state did not redraw election districts as population grew and shifted within the state during urbanization and industrialization of certain areas. As counties were the basis of election districts, the result was a rural minority that dominated state politics through nearly three-quarters of the century, until a series of federal court cases required redistricting in 1972 to meet equal representation. Alabama state politics gained nationwide and international attention in the 1950s and 1960s during the civil rights movement, when whites bureaucratically, and at times violently, resisted protests for electoral and social reform. Governor [[George Wallace]], the state's only four-term governor, was a controversial figure who vowed to maintain segregation. Only after passage of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964<ref name="cra64" /> and Voting Rights Act of 1965 did African Americans regain the ability to exercise suffrage, among other civil rights. In many jurisdictions, they continued to be excluded from representation by at-large electoral systems, which allowed the majority of the population to dominate elections. Some changes at the county level have occurred following court challenges to establish [[single-member district]]s that enable a more diverse representation among county boards.

In 2007, the Alabama Legislature passed, and Republican governor [[Bob Riley]] signed a resolution expressing "profound regret" over slavery and its lingering impact. In a symbolic ceremony, the bill was signed in the [[Alabama State Capitol]], which housed Congress of the Confederate States of America.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Phillip |last=Rawls |title=Alabama offers an apology for slavery |work=The Virginian Pilot |date=June 1, 2007}}</ref> In 2010, Republicans won control of both houses of the legislature for the first time in 136 years.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/11/gop_takes_alabama_legislature.html |title=GOP takes control of Alabama Legislature after 136 years |last=White |first=David |date=November 2, 2010 |work=[[The Birmingham News]] |access-date=July 9, 2018 |archive-date=July 9, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709153753/http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2010/11/gop_takes_alabama_legislature.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

{{as of|2023|February|}}, there are a total of 3,707,233 registered voters, with 3,318,679 active, and the others inactive in the state.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/election-data |title=Elections Data Downloads |publisher=Alabama Secretary of State |access-date=March 2, 2023 |archive-date=December 8, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208174821/http://sos.alabama.gov/alabama-votes/voter/election-data |url-status=live}}</ref>

The 2023 ''American Values Atlas'' by [[Public Religion Research Institute]] found that a majority of Alabama residents support [[Same-sex marriage in the United States|same-sex marriage]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |date=February 24, 2023 |title=American Values Atlas: Approval of Same-Sex Marriage in Alabama |url=https://ava.prri.org/#lgbt/2022/States/lgbt_ssm/m/US-AL |access-date=April 12, 2023 |website=[[Public Religion Research Institute]] |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#lgbt/2022/States/lgbt_ssm/m/US-AL |url-status=live}}</ref>