GEORGIA STATUTES AND CODES
               		§ 3-4-92 - Procedure for authorization of sale in counties and  municipalities in which package sales are not lawful; procedure for  nullifying prior approval and authorization of sales by the drink
               		
               		
               	 	
               	 	               	 	
               	 	
               	 	
               	 		
O.C.G.A.    3-4-92   (2010)
    3-4-92.    Procedure for authorization of sale in counties and  municipalities in which package sales are not 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 not 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  appropriate 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. It shall be the duty of such election superintendent to issue  the call and set the date for an election in accordance with Code  Section 21-2-540 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. 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 are in  favor of issuing licenses to sell distilled spirits for beverage  purposes by the drink, such sale 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.  It shall be the duty of the election superintendent to hold and conduct  such election under the provisions of Chapter 2 of Title 21, the  "Georgia Election Code." It shall be the superintendent's further duty  to canvass the returns and declare and certify the results of the  election to the Secretary of State. The expense of 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 the governing authority, as provided  in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, forwards a resolution to the  election superintendent calling for such a referendum.
            (D)  Nullification  of a referendum approving such sales held pursuant to this paragraph  shall be accomplished only as provided in subsection (c) of this Code  section.
      (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 35 percent of the registered and qualified  voters of any municipality or county described in subsection (a) 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 the  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  superintendent shall issue the call and set the date of the referendum  election in accordance with Code Section 21-2-540. 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  a 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. 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 further be the superintendent's 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 paragraph (2) of this subsection, is filed with the  appropriate election superintendent.
            (D)  Nullification  of a referendum approving such sales held pursuant to this paragraph  shall be accomplished only as provided in subsection (c) of this Code  section.
(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 a 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 35 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 by paragraph (2) of 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.