Living Savannah

Will Sunday sales pass in Savannah and other local municipalities?

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I’ve already written a post about one choice that Chatham County voters will have at the polls this November: the removal of term limits on the chairperson of the Chatham County Commission.

Today’s topic is Sunday package sales. Here’s what we’ll see on the ballot in Savannah as well as Bloomingdale, Garden City, Pooler, Port Wentworth, Thunderbolt, Tybee, and the unincorporated county:

Shall the governing authority of [municipality name], be authorized to permit and regulate package sales by retailers of malt beverages, wine, and distilled spirits on Sundays between the hours of 12:30 P.M. and 11:30 P.M.?
( ) YES
( ) NO

Bloomingdale is also voting on alcohol sales by the drink and Sunday sales by the drink.

I would like to think that Sunday sales will pass easily for a number of reasons:

  • The current law unnecessarily limits the right of some businesses to be open on Sunday.
  • The current law is essentially a violation of the establishment clause of the Constitution.
  • The current inability to buy package beer, wine, and liquor on Sunday is a considerable and unnecessary inconvenience to consumers.
A “yes” vote is a pretty easy call for me. If we’re serious about getting rid of unnecessary government restrictions on commerce, this is low-hanging fruit.
That said, I really don’t know how the vote will play out. As I noted in a post in May, the vote is hardly a sure thing. Still, about 100 places in Georgia have included a referendum on the general election ballot. Not all Georgia cities and counties have elections this November, however, and I do not know of any that have scheduled special elections just to address this issue.