Garvin County voters will have the opportunity later this year to decide whether liquor stores in the county can open for business on Sundays.
The Garvin County Board of Commissioners approved a motion Monday to include the measure with the June 28 primary election ballot for the county.
Prior to making the motion at their regular meeting, the board heard from Kelie Knowles, who owns a retail liquor store in Wynnewood. Knowles said operating a business in Wynnewood, where local industry brings in a lot of out-of-state workers who are unfamiliar with Oklahoma liquor laws, she’s been asked repeatedly why she’s not open on Sundays.
“So, I started looking for answers for them and found out no one’s ever asked to be open on Sundays in Garvin County,” Knowles said.
Oklahoma statutes require retail liquor stores to be closed on Sundays, unless a majority of county voters approve a measure allowing them to remain open. The item must be placed on a county ballot by the board of commissioners and can be included by a motion of the board, or after the board receives a petition signed by enough registered voters to equal at least 15% of the total votes cast in the last gubernatorial election.
Seven Oklahoma counties currently allow retail liquor store sales on Sundays. Those counties –Cleveland, Creek, Kingfisher, Muskogee, Oklahoma, Tulsa and Washington – approved Sunday liquor store sales in 2020.
Knowles pointed out that new liquor laws in the state now allow grocery stores and convenience stores to sell alcohol on Sundays. She said as she’s researched the idea, she hasn’t spoken to anyone who has been adamantly against the idea.
“I think it would do well on a ballot,” Knowles said. “I think it’s worth putting on the ballot at this point.”
Commissioners Gary Ayres, Mike Gollihare and Randy Chandler agreed to put the measure on the ballot and let voters decide.
During Monday’s meeting Commissioners also appointed two fair board members. Brittany Pittman was appointed to represent District 2, and Sam Halverson was appointed to represent District 3 on the fair board.
Commissioners still have two open fair board positions they need to fill, one for District 3 and one for District 1.