WASHINGTON COUNTY, Okla. — This November, Washington County officials are serving voters a question that could impact their local bar, convenience store, or restaurant: Should alcohol be sold earlier and later on Sundays?
Right now, alcohol can only be sold between noon and midnight.
According to Mike Bouvier, the chair of the Washington County Commissioners, it's been this way since the 1980s. He will leave office after the upcoming elections.
He recalled to 2 News that things changed when last New Year’s Eve fell on a Sunday.
“They couldn't stay open until two o'clock, and so they were thinking they would be losing money,” he said.
If voters pass this ballot measure, alcohol could be sold as early as 8 a.m. on Sunday and as late as 2 a.m. on Monday, putting them on par with neighboring counties.
“I think it’s fine,” said bartender Heather Scott. “It’s no different than any other day.”
2 News Oklahoma’s Douglas Braff stopped by Dobbie’s bar in Dewey. For 70 years, the bar has served regulars and their pets alike; one patron had a black labrador retriever named June snooping around the games table.
Braff listened to Scott, who is also Dobbie’s manager, about her thoughts.
“If they were to extend the hours of alcohol sales on a Sunday, do you think that would help this bar?” Braff asked.
“Oh yeah,” she replied. “Anything would help. I mean, hours-wise, the later you’re open, the more people that can come in.”
Bouvier had a different opinion about the ballot measure.
“Two more hours of drinking alcohol [in the evening] is gonna cause some problems, you know? And whatever [those] problems may be will show eventually,” he told 2 News. “And it's hard to take back once it's already put out there, I think.”
Bouvier said he generally agrees with the Greater Oklahoma Victim Impact Panel that the change could cause problems. The Panel fears extending alcohol selling hours raises the likelihood of more DUI’s.
When asked what he would say to business owners who might benefit from this proposition passing, he responded: “I think it's all up to them and whether they want to do it or not. You know, they have to live with their own conscience and, you know, if that's what they wanna do to make some extra money for their families and so on and so forth. I know they're probably not thinking that they don't intentionally want to hurt anyone by staying open and having things happen like that.”
“But, it's not my call,” he pointed out. “That's why we're putting it on the ballot.”
Election Day is Nov. 5. Early voting in Oklahoma begins on Oct. 30. Absentee ballots must be received by the County Election Board no later than 7:00 p.m. on election night.
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