By Associated Press
Thomasville AL – Voters in Thomasville have approved a city ordinance that would lift the ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages.
City Clerk Debbie Ballard said the final tally of Tuesday's vote was 948 for and 702 against.
The vote is significant because Thomasville is located in Clarke County, which is dry. In seven elections spanning 70 years, Thomasville voters had rejected efforts to allow liquor sales in the town.
"We had a record turnout for a city election," Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day, who had endorsed allowing alcohol sales, said.
Ballard said Thomasville's turnout was high, considering the city has about 2,900 registered voters.
Thomasville is the second city in the county to vote itself wet. Jackson voters approved alcoholic beverage sales in 2005.
The new ordinance confines alcoholic beverage sales to business areas along U.S. 43 and the downtown historic district.
Day said alcohol sales could bring from $725,000 to $1 million to city coffers each year, and industrial recruits had already called the city Wednesday asking about the vote's outcome.