Nolensville ballot will include wine in grocery stores referendum in November

NOLENSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Nolensville voters will have the power to allow grocery stores to sell wine in November, the Williamson County Election Commission announced.

Resulting from a signature-gathering campaign, the question of whether to allow wine in grocery stores (WIGS) will appear on the town’s ballot in the Nov. 5 general election.

Williamson County Election Administration Chad Gray issued a memorandum confirming that his staff validated enough signatures to meet the petition threshold for the question to appear on the general election ballot. Per state law , a certain minimum number of Nolensville registered voters had to sign the petition in order to get the initiative on the ballot.

One group celebrating the referendum’s appearance on the ballot is the Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association.

“Nolensville shoppers are one stop closer to being able to buy wine where they buy their food,” Association President Rob Ikard said in a statement. “We are excited that the Town of Nolensville will likely join the more than one hundred fifth communities statewide that have adopted wine in grocery stores.”

The Williamson County Election Commission is set to approve the petition results at its upcoming meeting, which should be held no later than August 19.

“We are encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive response we received in the petition effort, but it is now up to the voters of Nolensville,” Ikard said. “Those who want to be able to buy their wine where they buy their food must make their voices heard on November 5.”

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The referendum is timely, as the town recently announced plans for two new grocery stores that would otherwise have not been able to sell wine when they opened. Both Publix and Kroger are currently in the works in Nolensville, with estimations of opening in the next year and a half.

News 2 has reached out to Nolensville officials for comment, but has not heard anything back as of publication.

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