Ga. Municipalities Approve Alcohol Sales On Sunday

Georgia cities and towns approved Sunday sales of alcohol.

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Voters in many of Georgia's cities and towns have overturned traditional rules that banned alcohol sales on Sunday.

Results, compiled by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, showed that residents in nearly 100 locations where the issue was on the ballot supported the reversal. In most communities, it passed with more than 60 percent of the vote.

Pine Lake in DeKalb County had the most lopsided tally with 93 percent voting for Sunday sales. The Fulton County Board of Elections in Atlanta reported that the measure passed with 81 percent of the vote. The Journal-Constitution reports that Palmetto in Fulton County is the only municipality to reject the issue.

State lawmakers decided earlier this year to allow local communities to decide on the issue rather than place a statewide question on the ballot.

"The results of today's election have shown that the vast majority of voters overwhelmingly support the opportunity to purchase all of their groceries, including beer and wine, seven days per week," Georgia Food Industry Association lobbyist Kathy Kuzava told the Journal-Constitution. The ballot question was largely opposed by church groups for religious reasons.

Many Georgia communities declined to hold a special election for the alcohol sales question, as it would have been the only question on the ballot, according to the newspaper. More are expected to vote on it in 2012.

Now, Indiana and Connecticut are the only states to prohibit alcohol sales on Sunday statewide, according to the Associated Press.

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Dylan Scott is a GOVERNING staff writer.
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