Sunday beer and wine petition verified
The Say Yes To Sunday committee's petition to lift the ban on Sunday beer and wine sales was enough to make the Nov. 4 general election ballot, Ottawa County Clerk Daniel Krueger announced Tuesday afternoon.
Both Krueger and Say Yes to Sunday spokesman Jim Storey expected some opposition — but Krueger said no one from the public even viewed the petition, let alone challenged any of the signatures.
"I was mildly surprised, given the roots of this community," Storey said. "I thought there may be some religious-based objections, but I think people realize it's not a question of whether alcohol should be allowed."
Ottawa is the only Michigan county that prohibits beer and wine sales on Sundays. Only liquor and mixed drinks have been for sale in Ottawa County since 1981.
The Say Yes To Sunday committee submitted more than 42,800 signatures on Aug. 12 to place the issue on the ballot. They needed 37,756 signatures from registered county voters to do it.
Krueger said the clerk's office threw out more than 3,000 signatures for reasons including signers who left out information, signed incorrectly or were not Ottawa County registered voters.
The committee now has the job of getting out the vote and educating voters. Voters need to understand a no vote is a vote to repeal the beer and wine sales ban, Storey said.
"As odd as that sounds, that's the way it is," he said. "We have a lot of work ahead of us, but the main goal is we want all voters to be fully informed on this issue."
Educating every voter will be harder than ever, with a record amount of participation expected Nov. 4. Krueger said around 85 percent of registered voters could come out because of the heated presidential race, up from around 70 percent in a typical general election.
Steve Vink is a member of the Say Yes to Sunday committee and owner of Tip a Few Tavern in Grand Haven. He said people need to view this as an economic issue, not an alcohol issue.
"It's about the economy of Ottawa County and how it will help bring more jobs to the area," Vink said. "To tell you the truth, my sales might go down because I do sell a lot of spirits on Sunday. But it's good for the economy of the whole county."
Say Yes to Sunday is hosting a rally today at Hope College to sign up volunteers and another one on Sept. 9 at the Main Street Pub near Grand Valley State University.
They will likely hold get-out-the-vote rallies in late September and October and private fundraisers to pay for advertising, Storey said.
Both Storey and Krueger agree that opponents of the ban will emerge in the next several months.
"We've had calls from people who were upset with the issue," Krueger said. "They indicated they would be working with some organizations when the campaigning started."