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Voters will have a chance to decide whether to allow alcohol sales in Stanford city limits come November, now that enough signatures have been verified by Lincoln County Clerk Sonny Spoonamore.

Robert E. Johnson, Joe Reed, and Joe L. Gilliland filed the intent to circulate a “wet” or local option petition for the City of Stanford in March and this month, the group turned in over 300 signatures to Spoonamore for verification.

Spoonamore said last week the signatures have been verified and the local option question will be on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Several attempts to bring alcohol sales to Stanford have been started in the last two years, but none have made it to the ballot until now.

Only voting precincts 1, 2 and 3 in Stanford will see the question on their ballot.

Judge-Executive Jim Adams Jr. told magistrates in March that he believes this new effort to bring alcohol sales to Stanford will have better luck than the previous attempts.

City Attorney John Hackley, who filed the paperwork for the petitioners, said if voters approved the local option, the City of Stanford could approach the Lincoln County Fiscal Court about incorporating the William Whitley House – a local historical site –  to allow wine and spirits to be served at functions such as weddings and other events.

The last local option election in Stanford was in 2009 when “dry” voters prevailed and prohibition was sustained.

The last local option election in Lincoln County was in 2018 when Crab Orchard voters also voted down alcohol sales.