The Post Election Booze

Posted by Tom Wark on Nov 9, 2006

This will probably me my last post concerning how wine, drinking, booze and the Devil fared in Tuesday’s elections. Below is a run down of some of the alcohol-related results in Tuesday’s election from across the country.

In Rock Hill, North Carolina voters determined the world would be a better place if restaurants could offer a drink on Sunday, not just the last six days of the week: "I want to scream ‘Yippee!’ out loud," said Jeff Brown, managing partner of Outback Steakhouse off Celanese Road."

Citizens of South Lufkin, Texas will not be able to buy beer, wine and spirits in their own community, where the measure on being wet or dry passed with by a 57% majority.

In Angelina County Texas, voters approved a measure that would allow beer and wine sales there, but not spirits. Across the river, where folks used to go to get their beer and wine in the neighboring county, spirits are glum among merchants who used to provide all the sin for Angelina County: "It’s going to have a big
impact," Wong said. "All of my customers are from Angelina County, and
because Angelina County went wet, we’ll probably loose more than 50
percent of our business. All we’ll be selling now is liquor."

Marion County, Arkansas is the first county in that state to go wet in over 20 years. State law says that a wet county is allowed to have  one a "package store" for every 4000 residents. Marion County will soon be getting four new business to serve its 16,000 residents.

McClain County, Oklahoma will now allow alcohol to be served by the glass. You have always been able to buy in particular stores, just never by the glass at a restaurant. The mayor of the city of Blanchard was surprised at the vote and offered this political commentary on the outcome of the race: "I thought enough people would go out there and vote it
down. I suppose people wanted to vote the way they wanted to."

Sunday sales of alcohol in Park City and Kechi in Kansas were approved by those cities’ voters, but only margins of 12 and 15 vots respectively. One local liquor store owner thought this new openness would help prevent drunk driving because: "With
liquor stores being closed on Sunday, that forces those that want to
have a cocktail to go to the bar and possibly drink too much and possibly drink and
drive."

In Arab, Alabama 10 citizens opposed to allowing alcohol sales in that town made the difference in defeating a ballot measure that would have turned Arab from a dry to wet municipality. 18 votes out of 3,114 were what separated the No from Yes tally. According to Dr. John Crider, chairman of Concerned Citizens To Keep Arab
Safe, the town of Arab will remain immune from family violence and crime.

In Wollforth, Texas near Lubbock grocery and convenience stores will not be allow to sell beer and wine after Tuesday’s election. The measure to allow sales where food is sold passed apparently despite the fact that nearby Texas Tech students did not come out in numbers to vote. Students are….pre-disposed to support such a measure. However… they apparently were too…indisposed…to get up on Tuesday and vote.