Alcohol Sales on November Ballot for Andrews

Promote Andrews is a non-profit group in Andrews that organized 2 petitions so alcohol could be sold in their area. So, did the group get the enough signatures?

Step one is the petition, step two is get enough signatures and step three is of course an election. Today, Promote Andrews found out they did get enough signatures for both petitions. Meaning the two alcohol petitions will be on the November ballot, but victory is anything but guaranteed. Because this isn't the first time a group has rallied for alcohol sales in Andrews.

In order for a petition to move to an election, signatures from 35 percent of the number of voters who voted in the last governors race need to be collected; in this case: 926.

"On the petition for the sale of beer and wine for off premise consumption only, they had a total of 1,318 signatures, but only 986 were valid," explains Robin Harper, Tax Assessor and Voter Register for Andrews County.

A non-valid signature could mean a person wasn't a registered voter or it was a duplicate.

"The other one was the sale of mixed beverages and it had 1,295 and they were 967 that were valid on that petition," says Harper.

Those numbers were presented to County Commissioners for the first time this morning.

"Once that's proven, which it was, the court legally has to order an election, which we did," explain Andrews County Judge Richard Dolgener.

On the November ballot, voters will vote on 2 items, the sale of beer and wine at certain stores and the sale of mixed beverages at Andrews' restaurants. In its 100 years, this is the fourth time a group in the community to push for alcohol sales in Andrews. 

"It's the vote of the people its either you do or you don't, it’s never passed. Now we’ll just have to wait and see," says Judge Dolgener.

Again, there are 2 separate alcohol items voters will approve or not. So, there's a chance only one could pass or neither.