Push for wine in grocery stores not done yet

After years of pent-up frustration for all the people who want to buy their steak and their cabernet sauvignon in one place, the votes to let grocery stores sell wine might not be election night nail-biters.

But even with few signs of vocal opposition, activists campaigning for passage in more than 75 cities and counties say they don't want anyone who supports the cause to get complacent or lose focus.

"We just don't want people to think we're done," Kroger spokeswoman Melissa Eads said Friday. "Our biggest concern is making sure they vote."

The General Assembly voted last spring to allow grocery stores to start selling wine on July 1, 2016, in cities and counties that allow bars or liquor stores. But before they can do that, local voters have to say OK in municipal referendums.

So, after rounding up more than 262,000 signatures, the Red White and Food group and its retail partners, including Kroger, have forced referendums around the state on Nov. 4. Early voting starts Oct. 15.

Referendums will be held in Nashville, Brentwood, Fairview, Franklin, Gallatin, Goodlettsville, Hendersonville, Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, Murfreesboro and Smyrna, among other places.

Susie Alcorn, Red White and Food's campaign manager, said the seven-year battle at the state legislature for wine in grocery stores created a "volunteer army" of about 30,000 people who are ready to see their cause through to the end. Those volunteers are now expected to help get the word out about the upcoming votes.

Alcorn said she and her team haven't seen much resistance to the idea in the communities that have scheduled referendums, though petition drives did fall short of the required numbers in 14 other places.

"Even through the process of collecting the signatures, there was very little pushback," she said. "That's a testament, I think, to the fact that this issue has come of age."

She said the campaign will be like any other, with events, yard signs and paid advertisements to educate voters and spread the message. But voters won't see much of that activity before early voting starts in a little more than three weeks.

"We're going to focus all of those resources into a tight time frame," Alcorn said.

Eads said Kroger and the other major grocery store companies involved in the campaign, including Publix, Wal-Mart and Food Lion, are still working with Red White and Food on their advertising plan. Alcorn said the group continues to raise money.

The 20-month provision

While most ballot issues take effect fairly soon after a vote, the state law that was passed this year says no grocery stores in Tennessee will sell wine until nearly 20 months after the Nov. 4 referendums.

That's been one of the toughest things for voters to get their heads around.

"They say, 'You're kidding me,' " Eads said. "But time flies. It will be here before you know it."

Alcorn said some voters are surprised and some are unhappy when they learn about the delayed implementation.

"It is a long time to wait," she said. "That's one of the biggest things we had to address during signature collection."

Reach Michael Cass at 615-259-8838 and on Twitter @tnmetro.

Who's voting

More than 75 cities and counties across Tennessee will hold referendums this fall on letting grocery stores sell wine, including the Middle Tennessee cities of Nashville, Brentwood, Fairview, Franklin, Gallatin, Goodlettsville, Hendersonville, Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, Murfreesboro and Smyrna.

Who's not

Fourteen municipalities that could have voted won't, because petition drives in those places fell short of the required numbers. In Middle Tennessee, that list includes Columbia, Dickson, La Vergne, Portland and Springfield.