Community Corner
Oconee County Liquor Referendum Had Support Of Major Political, Social And Demographic Groups
A survey conducted before the Nov. 4 election showed wide support for the changes in the county's liquor law, even among conservatives.
Oconee County voters gave overwhelming support to the liquor-by-the-drink initiative on the ballot in November, and an analysis of survey data from the weeks before that vote shows that all major political, social and demographic groups approved of the change in county liquor laws.
Political conservatives, voters more than 60 years old, evangelical Christians, those who attend church weekly or more often, and voters with children under 18 years of age all favored allowing the county to issue licenses for restaurants to sell liquor by the drink.
Democratic voters were more likely to support the referendum than were Republicans, but about six in 10 of those who identified themselves as Republicans in the survey said they favored the change in the county’s alcohol ordinance.
On Nov. 4, county voters approved the referendum authorizing the county to change its laws, with the initiative receiving 65.4 support overall and being approved in all 13 of the county’s precincts.
The survey, conducted in the three weeks before that vote, found that 67.3 percent of the 297 registered voters at the time they were interviewed said they favored the referendum.
For more details on the survey findings, go to Oconee County Observations.