Each election heretofore held in any school district or in any municipality or in any county at large, in this state on the question of the levy of a special tax for any school or educational purpose, or for school or educational purposes generally, under the Constitution of Alabama or any amendment thereto, or upon the question of the consolidation of two or more school districts and the levy of such a tax in the consolidated school district resulting from such consolidation, at which election a majority of the ballots cast were in favor of the levy of the tax, or in favor of the proposed consolidation and the levy of the tax in the consolidated district, as the case may be, and which election was irregular because of failure prior to the holding of the election to give notice thereof in a newspaper or by posting in the manner or for the time required by the statute under which the election was held, or because the period of time for which the tax was voted at the election exceeded the maximum period of time for which the tax was then permitted by the appropriate statute, or because of any other irregularity in any proceedings pertaining to the election, shall be and each such election is hereby ratified, and each such election shall be given effect in all respects as if all provisions of law relating to such election had been duly and legally complied with. The tax voted on at each such election shall be levied and collected for the remaining period of the time specified for the levy thereof in the election proceedings, and each such consolidation of school districts and levy of the tax provided for in such consolidation proceedings shall be effective in accordance with the authorization purported to have been given at such election.

The provisions of this section shall not apply to any election which prior to the enactment of this section shall have been heretofore held or declared irregular by the governing body of the county in which the election was held or shall have been held invalid by the Supreme Court of Alabama or by final judgment of the circuit court in the county in which the election was held and from which judgment an appeal was not taken to the Supreme Court of Alabama within the time provided by law for the taking of such appeal, or to any election the validity of which is in issue in any pending action commenced prior to January 1, 2006.