On Tuesday, Georgia voters in more than 30 cities will decide whether diners can raise a glass a bit earlier on Sundays.
Municipalities and counties across the state will vote on the passage of the Sunday Sales Referendum, also known as the brunch bill, on Election Day. The bill proposes restaurants serving alcohol as early as 11 a.m. on Sundays. Currently, the 31 cities voting on the bill begin restaurant alcohol sales at 12:30 p.m. Sundays, according to a previous Atlanta Journal-Constitution report.
Some of the residents in the cities considering the bill say the passage could mean more sit-down restaurants will be attracted to smaller Georgia cities including Locust Grove in Henry County.
“I’m for it to get us an Applebee’s or some kind of nice restaurant out here,” said Locust Grove Mayor Robert Price. “If we want a sit-down restaurant, we have to go up to McDonough.”
The initiative to extend alcohol sales at restaurants has been in the works for four years. The bill passed out of the Georgia State Senate on Feb. 13, 2018, and passed out of the Georgia House of Representatives on March 12, 2018, according to the Georgia Restaurant Association.
On Election Day, the following 31 communities will vote whether to roll the on-premise consumption sales back and just how early to do so, according to the GRA:
Albany
Berkeley Lake
Cairo
Cartersville
Centerville
Clarkesville
Cleveland
Cornelia
Covington
Cumming
Dacula
Dahlonega-Lumpkin County
Dougherty County
Emerson
Euharlee
Hampton
Henry County
Hiram
Lee County
Lilburn
Locust Grove
McDonough
Monroe
Morrow
Newnan
Norcross
Rome
Stockbridge
Valdosta
Watkinsville
White
Dozens of other Georgia cities have already passed the referendum, including Austell, Chamblee, Decatur and dozens more. See the other cities here.
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