The vote on an amendment proposed to the Constitution shall be counted and return made thereof as the vote for members of the Legislature is counted and returned, the amendments, if more than one, being designated by substantially the language used to designate them on the official ballot.

The board of supervisors shall ascertain the number of votes given in their respective counties for and against the proposed amendment when ascertaining the vote given for officers; the returning officers of such county shall thereupon make returns of such vote, by precincts, to the Secretary of State immediately, together with a certificate, prepared from the poll lists of the total number of qualified electors in said county who voted at such election.

The Secretary of State shall, in the presence of the Governor and Attorney General, or one of them, open such certificates and therefrom ascertain whether a majority of all the qualified electors of the state who voted at such election voted in favor of such amendment or amendments; and the result of said election shall be made known by proclamation of the Governor.

Whenever any proposed amendment to the Constitution of Alabama, regardless of the nature thereof, is submitted to the people for ratification or adoption, the expense of publication of the Governor's proclamation concerning such amendment shall be paid out of the General Fund of the State of Alabama. Payment of the expense of the publication of any such proclamation shall be made upon account stated, certified to be correct, approved by the Governor, upon warrant of the State Comptroller.

There is hereby appropriated out of the General Fund of the State of Alabama such sum or sums as may be necessary to pay the expense of the publication of any such proclamation.

Unless otherwise stated in the act or resolution calling such election, whenever any special election is ordered by the Legislature upon any proposed amendment or amendments to the Constitution of this state and said amendment affects only one municipality in this state, then if such municipality has as much or more than 68,000 and under 200,000 inhabitants according to the last or any subsequent federal census, and if no amendment or amendments other than those affecting said municipality are submitted to the voters of the state at said election, the expense of holding such election, including the cost of publishing the notices and proclamation required by the Constitution shall be paid by such municipality.

It shall be the duty of the Comptroller to ascertain the expense of such election and, within 30 days after the holding of the same, to present to and file with the clerk of such municipality a statement of said expense, duly certified by such officer, and the governing body of such municipality, by whatever name called, shall cause said expense to be paid out of the funds of the municipality to the Treasurer of the State of Alabama. Every such claim shall be a preferred claim against such municipality, and the courts may enforce by writ of mandamus performance of the duty herein entailed upon the Comptroller and the members of the governing body of such municipality.