Push to Serve Alcohol on Election Day Passes Committee

Feb 04, 2008 by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) Senator Scott McCoy continues his push to reform Utah's alcohol laws. A key Senate committee Monday unanimously approved his proposal to allow restaurants, bars and private clubs to serve alcohol on election days.

"Nowadays with early election, vote by mail and absentee, it just really is an anachronism, really archaic, to say that you can't go in and have a glass of wine with lunch, just because that Tuesday happens to be election day," McCoy says.  

He says the current laws are throwbacks to Utah's Wild West past - when saloons and bars also served as polling places. McCoy says only 2 states still have these types of laws on the books, but they are more limited. Utah is the only state to ban all types of Election Day alcohol sales. But this isn't the only problem. McCoy says the law is inconsistent.

"The oddity that this presents will be born out and demonstrated tomorrow, when we all get together for the Western States Primary," McCoy says. "And tomorrow all of the state liquor stores, all of the packing agencies, bars, private clubs, restaurants, will be able to sell beer, wine, liquor - everything."

 

The presidential primary is not listed under the current law. It only applies to Statewide general elections, primaries or special elections. Instead of proposing to eliminate the ban altogether, McCoy says his bill takes the middle ground. It does not reverse the ban on Election Day alcohol sales at state liquor stores and packaging agencies. The bill has the support of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and it garnered unanimous support Monday from the Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee. It now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

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