Sunday Sales Revote: Does This Make Sense?

In case you haven’t been reading my blog, there was a ballot measure during the March 6th primary to authorize “Sunday” sales of alcohol here in Cobb County ((I say “Sunday” because the enabling legislation says from 12:30 PM onward.)). The measure passed resoundingly, in unincorporated Cobb County and in all of the various Cobb County cities. ((Some of these cities voted last November.))

Now, apparently, there is a legal challenge to the March 6th unincorporated Cobb County vote.

Marietta attorney Justin O’Dell filed a petition on behalf of residents of some Cobb cities last week challenging the March 6 election. It called for a new election because residents in Cobb’s six cities were not allowed to vote on whether Sunday sales should be allowed in the unincorporated portions of the county.

Does that make any sense? Is there a legal requirement that a regulation that only applies outside of cities be voted on by those registered voters inside the cities? Apparently someone thinks so because Cobb won’t protest and instead will put it back on the ballot for the July 31st general primary.

I can understand the Cobb Elections Board not wanting to spend the money to fight this and instead just throw it back on the ballot come the next election, but this is stupid on several levels. One, we voted and we crushed the shit out of the No vote. Every jurisdiction voted yes; most by overwhelming margins. Two, “…residents of some Cobb cities…” seem to be tilting at windmills on this one and could probably spend their time doing better things. See point one.

The only thing that make sense right now is that this is an obscure smack at Cobb County Commissioner Tim Lee in his race to be reelected this year. Election year politics is preventing me from buying beer on “Sunday.”

Le sigh.