SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. — On May 4, voters in the Sevierville municipal election had an additional option their ballot — whether to allow bottles of alcoholic drinks to be sold at stores in the city.
According to unofficial results from the Sevierville Election Commission, 589 votes were cast to approve the referendum as of Thursday evening. They said there were 482 votes against it.
The liquor referendum had two options: whether or not to "permit retail package stores to sell alcoholic beverages in the City of Sevierville."
Restrictions on liquor in Sevier County have changed gradually over the years. In 2018, voters decided to allow grocery stores outside of the county's cities to sell wine. In 2013, Pigeon Forge voted to allow liquor-by-the-drink sales. Sevierville already allowed such sales, as well as beer sales.
Before Thursday's election vote, Gatlinburg was the only city in Sevier County that allowed liquor stores to sell drinks. Soon, Sevierville may be another area where people in Sevier County can buy bottles of liquor.
According to the preliminary results, Travis McCroskey also won Alderman Seat 5, with around 60% of the vote. The unofficial results showed 1,105 votes cast in the election — mostly during early voting.