GEORGIA STATUTES AND CODES
               		§ 3-4-91 - Procedure for authorization of sale in counties and  municipalities in which package sales lawful; procedure for nullifying  prior approval and authorization of sales by the drink
               		
               		
               	 	
               	 	               	 	
               	 	
               	 	
               	 		
O.C.G.A.    3-4-91   (2010)
    3-4-91.    Procedure for authorization of sale in counties and  municipalities in which package sales lawful; procedure for nullifying  prior approval and authorization of sales by the drink 
      (a)  In  every county and municipality in which package sales of distilled  spirits are lawful, sales of distilled spirits as provided in this  article may be authorized after approval as provided in this Code  section.
(b) (1) (A)  In the event the  governing authority of any municipality or county coming under the  provisions of this Code section desires to exercise the powers  authorized by Code Section 3-4-90, the governing authority, through the  election superintendent, shall conduct a referendum election for the  purpose of determining whether or not these powers shall be exercised.  Any such governing authority shall notify the election superintendent of  the county or the municipality, as the case may be, of the referendum,  by forwarding to the superintendent a copy of a resolution of such  governing authority calling for such a referendum election. Upon receipt  of such resolution, it shall be the duty of such election  superintendent to set a date and to issue the call for an election for  the purpose of submitting the question of whether or not the governing  authority of the county or municipality shall be authorized to issue  licenses to sell distilled spirits for beverage purposes by the drink,  such sales to be for consumption only on the premises. The  superintendent shall set the date of the referendum election for not  less than 30 nor more than 60 days after the call. The referendum may be  held as a special referendum or may be held at the time of holding any  other primary or election in such county or municipality, if such other  primary or election is to be held not more than 60 days after the call.  Notice of the call for the referendum shall be published by the  superintendent in the legal organ of the county or, in the case of a  municipality, in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality.  The election superintendent shall also cause the date and purpose of  the referendum to be published in the official organ of the county or,  in the case of a municipality, in a newspaper of general circulation in  the municipality once a week for two weeks immediately preceding the  date of the election. The ballot shall have printed thereon the  following:
  
  
  
                        "[    ]  YES    Shall  the  governing  authority  of                    be  authorized  to  
issue  licenses  to  sell
                          [    ]  NO    distilled  spirits  for  beverage  purposes  by  the  drink,  
such  sales  to  be  for  consumption  only  on  the  premises?"
            (B)  All  persons desiring to vote in favor shall vote "Yes," and those persons  opposed shall vote "No." If more than one-half of the votes cast on such  question are in favor of issuing licenses to sell distilled spirits for  beverage purposes by the drink, such sales to be for consumption only  on the premises, then the governing authority shall, in accordance with  this Code section, issue such licenses; otherwise, no license shall be  issued. If held as a special election, it shall be the duty of the  election superintendent to hold and conduct such election under the same  rules that govern special elections as provided in Chapter 2 of Title  21, the "Georgia Election Code." It shall be his further duty to canvass  the returns and declare and certify the results of the election to the  Secretary of State. The expense for the election shall be borne by the  county or the municipality conducting the election.
            (C)  Following  the expiration of one year after any election is held which results in  the disapproval of sales as provided in this article, another election  on this question shall be held if the governing authority, as provided  in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, forwards a resolution to the  election superintendent calling for such a referendum.
      (2)  (A)  In the event the governing authority of any municipality or county  coming under the provisions of this Code section does not adopt a  resolution directing the election superintendent to issue a call for the  referendum provided for in paragraph (1) of this subsection, then, upon  a written petition containing the signatures of 15 percent of the  registered and qualified voters of any municipality or county coming  within the provisions of this Code section being filed with the  appropriate election superintendent, such election superintendent, upon  validation of the petition, shall be required to call and hold a  referendum election for the purpose of submitting to the qualified  voters of the municipality or the county, as the case may be, the  question of whether or not the governing authority shall be authorized  to issue licenses to sell distilled spirits for beverage purposes by the  drink, such sales to be for consumption only on the premises. A  petition shall not be amended, supplemented, or returned after  presentation to the appropriate authority. "Validation" shall, for the  purposes of this Code section, be the procedure in which the election  superintendent determines whether each signature on the petition is the  name of a registered and qualified voter. For purposes of this Code  section the required number of signatures of registered voters of a  political subdivision shall be computed based on the number of voters  qualified to vote at the general election immediately preceding the  presentation of the petition. Actual signers of the petition shall be  registered and qualified to vote in the referendum election sought by  the petition. Upon determining that the petition contains a sufficient  number of valid signatures, the election superintendent shall set the  date of the referendum election for not less than 30 nor more than 60  days after the call. The referendum may be held as a special referendum  election or may be held at the time of holding any other primary or  election in such county or municipality, if such other primary or  election is to be held not more than 60 days after the call. Notice of  the call for the referendum shall be published by the superintendent in  the legal organ of the county or, in the case of a municipality, in a  newspaper of general circulation in the municipality. The election  superintendent shall also cause the date and purpose of the referendum  to be published in the official organ of the county or, in the case of a  municipality, in a newspaper of general circulation in the municipality  once a week for two weeks immediately preceding the date of the  election. The ballot shall have printed thereon the following:
  
  
  
                        "[    ]  YES    Shall  the  governing  authority  of                    be  authorized  to  
issue  licenses  to  sell
                          [    ]  NO      distilled  spirits  for  beverage  purposes  by  the  drink,  
such  sales  to  be  for  consumption  only  on  the  premises?"
            (B)  All  persons desiring to vote in favor shall vote "Yes," and those persons  opposed shall vote "No." If more than one-half of the votes cast on such  question are in favor of issuing licenses to sell distilled spirits for  beverage purposes by the drink, such sales to be for consumption only  on the premises, then the governing authority shall, in accordance with  this Code section, issue such licenses; otherwise, no license shall be  issued. If conducted as a special election, it shall be the duty of the  election superintendent to hold and conduct such election under the same  rules that govern special elections as provided in Chapter 2 of Title  21, the "Georgia Election Code." It shall be his further duty to canvass  the returns and declare and certify the results of the election to the  Secretary of State. The expense for the election shall be borne by the  county or the municipality conducting the election.
            (C)  Following  the expiration of two years after any election is held which results in  the disapproval of sales as provided in this article, another election  on this question shall be held if another petition, as provided in  subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, is filed with the appropriate  election superintendent.
(c)  In any  municipality or county which has at any time held an election in  accordance with subsection (b) of this Code section resulting in the  majority of the votes being cast in favor of sales of distilled spirits  by the drink, the election superintendent of the municipality or county,  upon a petition signed by at least 15 percent of the registered,  qualified voters of the municipality or county, shall proceed to call  another election for the purpose of nullifying the previous election in  the same manner as prescribed in subsection (b) of this Code section. No  election shall be called or held within two years after the date of the  declaration by the election superintendent of the results of the  previous election held for the purposes of this Code section.