MANSFIELD — Voters in parts of Mansfield, Shelby and Butler will decide on Nov. 4 whether some local business can sell alcohol on Sundays.
Five precinct-level issues are pending across Richland County. Each one applies to a specific business location:
- Precinct 0410, Mansfield 4-B — Beck Suppliers, Inc., at 744 Park Avenue West (where FriendShip Kitchen convenience store is located), is seeking approval for the Sunday sale of wine and mixed beverages, both for on- and off-premise consumption.
- Precinct 0500, Mansfield 5-A — Englefield, Inc., doing business as Longview & Main Duchess at 680 N. Main St., is asking voters to allow Sunday sales of wine and mixed beverages for off-premise consumption.
- Precinct 0900, Shelby 3-A — Englefield, Inc., doing business as Shelby Duchess at 10 Broadway, is seeking approval for Sunday sales of wine and mixed beverages for off-premise consumption.
- Precinct 0910, Shelby 3-B — R. Chandrat, LLC, doing business as the Valero 24 Store at 172 N. Gamble St., has requested Sunday sales of wine, mixed beverages and spirituous liquor for both on- and off-premise consumption.
- Precinct 3300, Worthington A (Butler) — Englefield, Inc., doing business as Butler Duchess at 111 Elm St., is asking voters to approve Sunday sales of wine and mixed beverages for off-premise consumption.
If approved, the measures would grant the listed businesses permission to sell alcohol on Sundays in addition to their existing weekday sales.
Matt Finfgeld, director of the Richland County Board of Elections, said the liquor laws can be quite confusing.
“If you vote yes in support of the option, after we certify the election that place will now be able to sell on Sunday,” he explained. “If you vote no, you’re voting against it.”
Finfgeld said it’s pretty rare to see a liquor option fail, but it does happen. Just this past May, he said Matt’s Mart on the corner of Lexington Avenue and Middle Bellville Road failed to pass its option by just one vote.
(Below: Richland County Board of Elections directors Matt Finfgeld and Jane Zimmermann are guests on the News Man Weekly podcast. The election discussion begins at about the 23:15 mark of the show.)
What’s the law?
Ohio law requires businesses to obtain specific permits to sell alcohol, and Sunday sales are not automatically allowed statewide.
Under Ohio law, alcohol sales are prohibited after 2:30 a.m. on Sundays unless the business holds a permit specifically authorizing Sunday sales. Those permits can only be granted if voters in the affected precinct approve the change through a local option election.
Local option questions appear on the ballot when businesses petition for changes under Ohio’s liquor control laws. Only voters within the affected precincts will decide each issue.
“These entities do have to get signatures to get on the ballot, at least 50 good signatures from that precinct,” Finfgeld said. “The filing deadline is 90 days before the election, just like a candidate.”
The option applies only to the single business address on the ballot, and whether the option passes determines if wine, beer or spirits may be sold on Sundays for on-premise consumption, off-premise carryout, or both.
Key terms on the ballot:
These definitions come from the Ohio Revised Code:
- Wine: Any fermented drink made from grapes, fruit or other agricultural products, with alcohol content between 0.5% and 21%.
- Mixed beverages: Ready-to-drink cocktails, cordials, flavored drinks or seltzers that contain alcohol between 0.5% and 21%.
- Spirituous liquor: Distilled liquors — such as whiskey, vodka, rum or tequila — and any alcoholic beverage stronger than 21%.
- Beer: Any malt-based beverage with at least 0.5% alcohol. This includes typical beers, ales, and lagers.
- Intoxicating liquor: Any drink with at least 0.5% alcohol (basically everything except beer). This includes cider, wine, liquor, and even alcohol-based candy or desserts.
Why am I voting on this?
The history of Sunday sales being on the ballot actually dates back to the days of prohibition.
According to the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, the end of national prohibition put the regulation of alcohol sales into the hands of states and local municipalities.
“Economic benefits, public health and safety concerns, and the separation of church and state play key roles in government decisions on the Sunday sales of alcoholic beverages,” says the site’s history.
Restrictions on Sunday alcohol sales trace back to so-called “blue laws,” early rules that limited commerce on Sundays for religious and cultural reasons. The U.S. Supreme Court has even upheld such laws when they serve a secular purpose, such as promoting health, safety or rest.
In the last half-century, many states have rolled back broad Sunday bans, but alcohol sales remain one of the most common restrictions. Today, dozens of states — including Ohio — allow Sunday sales, but often only when voters approve them through local option elections.
