November 2011 Election Updates

Raise your glass high and toast to (most) of these election results:

• Select Georgia cities – who opted to foot the bill of the single-issue ballot – will allow Sunday sales of alcohol.  In the Atlanta metro area, more than 80% of the voters were in favor of Sunday sales.  Several religious groups opposed the ban.  Other areas of Georgia are expected to vote on the issue in 2012.  Currently, there are only two other states – Indiana and Connecticut – that have statewide bans on Sunday retail alcohol sales.
• Cinco de Mayo will never be the same in Pittsylvania county, Virgina.  Sale of mixed drinks such as margaritas in restaurants and bars is now allowed.  Sunday sales of alcohol also was approved by voters.
• Frozen pizza and beer runs are still not allowed in Wilton, Connecticut.  You can buy alcohol at the town’s three liquor stores, but not at grocery and convenience stores.  This whole drinking thing is fairly new to Wilton; the 120-year dry spell ended in 1992 when alcohol was allowed to be sold in restaurants.  In 2009, sale of packaged liquor was permitted.
• Residents of Vidor, in southeast Texas, are also allowed to enjoy a mixed drink when in a restaurant and sales of beer and wine is now permitted in grocery stores.
• If you want to enjoy a can of craft beer while relaxing in the water, avoid New Braunfels, Texas.  Supports say the can ban is to limit the amount of waste that ends up in the rivers.
• Costco Wholesale tossed $22.7 million dollars to the State of Washington Initiative 1183 campaign advertising to allow for private retailers to sell liquor as opposed to the state.  The initiative will go into effect June 1, 2012.
• Don’t live in Washington?  You still should care about Initiative 1183.  Retailers such as Costco are allowed to by liquor directly from distilleries, eliminating the distributor.  This breaks down the three tiered system requiring the distributor – or middle man – to be part of the sale of wine or liquor.  A distributor is still required for the sale of beer.  The three tiered system was put into place after Prohibition.