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Will T'ville citizens buck history? From a historical voting pattern viewpoint, the wet forces in Thomasville are battling a tough fight to legalize alcohol sales in an Aug. 14 municipal referendum. Thomasville citizens have consistently voted dry since the first countywide vote on the question was authorized after prohibition 70 years ago. Jackson proponents did not face as hard a fight in their 2005 municipal contest as Jackson had just as consistently voted wet over the years. Jackson voted to legalize alcohol sales on May 10, 2005 by a vote of 1,175 to 893, a 57 percent majority, and sales started in July of that year. Clarke County has voted on the alcohol question seven times between 1937 and 1984. Each time those opposed to legalized sales- the so-called "drys"- prevailed countywide. Thomasville has voted dry in each of the seven county contests. Wet-dry option started in '37 The current setup of wet-dry counties dates to 1937 when every county in Alabama voted on the question. Alabamians had been able to buy and drink beer and wine since 1933 when the national prohibition of a dozen or more years was appealed. However, hard liquor sales were still outlawed. Alabama's dire financial status in the '30s prompted the creation of a state liquor sales system by the Alabama Legislature to help provide needed tax revenues. Gov. Bibb Graves vetoed it because it did not allow for a vote on the matter but legislators overrode his veto. The law created a state monopoly under a three-person Alcoholic Beverage Control Board appointed by the governor and called for a statewide vote on March 10, 1937 with each county's vote determining its status on alcohol sales. Under the new law, hard liquor would be sold only through stateowned ABC stores with beer being sold by private businesses. The setup is pretty much the same today. Wet municipalities/dry counties Twenty-five of Alabama's 67 counties voted wet in that initial 1937 election. Today, 41 counties are wet and newer special municipal option laws have allowed 16 municipalities to vote in alcohol sales. The 16 are in 10 of the 26 dry counties, including Jackson in Clarke County. Jackson and Monroeville are among the latest municipalities in dry counties to legalize alcohol sales and Thomasville proponents hope their city can be added to the list after Aug. 14. Clarke County voted to remain dry by just 48 votes in that 1937 referendum with 869 voting "yes" and 917 voting "no." Interestingly, the difference in Thomasville was also 48 votes with 149 citizens voting no and 101 voting yes. That first balloting would be the city's closest in seven votes on the subject. In that same election, Monroe and Washington counties voted wet although both later voted to outlaw sales. Marengo County voted dry by a mere 13 votes in 1937 although today it is a wet county. The enabling legislation said that counties could vote again on the question six months after the 1937 election. After that, the issue would be limited to appearing on the ballot every two years. Other elections So, on Nov. 8, 1938, Clarke Country again voted on the question. This time the drys' victory was greater: 1,206 "no" votes to 931 "yes" votes. Thomasville voted no by 100 votes- 197 to 97. It would be 27 years later, 1964, before the matter was again brought to a county vote. It was overwhelmingly defeated then, the largest "no" vote of any of the seven county referendums. The county vote then was 3,648 against and 1,707 for. Thomasville voted no 256 to 101. Even Jackson, which usually voted wet, voted dry that time. The Democat acknowledged the unusual anti vote in Jackson "where the proposal is said to have originated." In 1972, the vote was closer with 3,973 countians voting yes and 4,329 voting no. Thomasville citizens shook their heads again, 664 to 570. In 1974, the county vote was 4,181 against and 3,369 for legalized sales. It was a 189-vote difference in Thomasville that year, 662 no votes to 473 yes votes. In 1981, the countywide vote was closer with the drys winning with a 406 majority. Yes votes totaled 4,496 and no votes were 4,902. In Thomasville, 456 voted no to 335 yes votes. Some of the Thomasville boxes by these later elections likely included voters who lived outside of the city limits. The same could be said for boxes in Grove Hill and Jackson. The last county referendum was in 1984 and the drys prevailed by a greater majority than they had in 1972 or 1981. In that election, 4,599 citizens cast no votes while 3,747 voted yes. Thomasville voters maintained their dry consistency with a 201- vote majority- 748 no votes to 547 yes votes. A county referendum has not been held in the 26 years since the 1984 vote. Municipalities buck dry counties The trend in Clarke County and in other dry counties has been for larger municipalities to generally vote a larger wet vote but for the rural communities to cast enough no votes to keep the county dry. That might be why so many municipalities are following the municipality referendum route these days. It appears to be working with most municipalities holding balloting on the question voting for legalized sales.
It'll be interesting to see how Thomasville votes on Aug. 14: Will citizens continue to voice their dry preference of 70 years or will they vote as have many other dry municipalities in recent years and legalize the sale of alcoholic beverages?
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