Big Majority of Texans Don't Want Liquor Sales on Sundays

AUSTIN, Texas --- According to a new statewide poll conducted by Baselice and Associates and released today, the vast majority of voters oppose allowing liquor stores to be open on Sundays. Texas voters oppose the proposal by a margin of 67 - 29 percent.

The survey of Texas voters was conducted between February 24 - 26, 2009 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percent.

In response to the poll numbers, Fred Marosko of the Texas Package Stores Association released the following statement:

"The majority of liquor store owners, like Texas voters, are overwhelmingly opposed to opening on Sundays for several important reasons.

Customers aren't asking for longer store hours. Those polled strongly feel that shopping for liquor is already convenient enough. So owners would face increased overhead that could devastate their bottom lines, even though their customers feel well-served by the stores in their communities and by the system as it stands.

And most importantly, DWI fatalities on Sundays reportedly increased 'sharply' after Sunday liquor sales were approved in New Mexico. Since Texas is currently third in the nation for alcohol-related highway fatalities, it's no surprise that legislation with this track record faces sharp opposition.

The Sunday sales legislation is being pushed by out-of-state liquor distillers who, simply put, want Texans to drink more liquor. Their legislation is overwhelmingly opposed both by Texas voters and local Texas businesses, and is a bad idea all the way around."

According to the poll, eighty-one percent of all Texas voters believe that current liquor store hours already provide enough time and convenience to shop for alcoholic beverages. And almost two-thirds of all voters agreed that bars being open on Sunday does not justify opening liquor stores seven days a week.

When informed that New Mexico saw a sharp rise in Sunday alcohol-related vehicle fatalities after a law passed allowing liquor stores to be open on Sundays, 74 percent of those polled oppose changing the law in Texas.

After hearing more about the issue, 67 percent of voters oppose (58 percent strongly oppose) allowing liquor stores to be open on Sundays, compared to 29 percent who favor the idea. Seventy-eight percent of Republicans, 63 percent of Democrats and 62 percent of Independents oppose allowing Sunday sales of liquor in Texas.

Several bills that aim to allow the Sunday sales of liquor have been filed.

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