The Burke County Board of Elections will meet at 10 a.m. Monday in the boardroom at 2128 S. Sterling St. to certify the Valdese petition for alcohol sales has met the 35 percent signature requirement and to set an election date.
Greer Suttlemyre, Burke County Board of Elections director, said proponents of alcohol sales submitted a petition with 1,501 signatures, of which 1130 have been validated. The group needed 1,049 signatures.
Suttlemyre said the election date cannot be any sooner than two months or later than three months from when Valdese officials request the election, which could be Monday.
Citizens for New Business started seeking petition signatures in September. The group wants a vote on beer, wine and liquor-by-the-drink sales and an ABC store in town.
The group believes alcohol sales will help Valdese's economy because the town would receive a portion of tax revenues. Other supporters believe alcohol sales would attract restaurants that previously avoided Valdese because of the alcohol law.
But the vote for alcohol isn't a new fight in Valdese. A 2002 referendum on alcohol sales was defeated.
This time around, church ministers and North Carolina Sen. Jim Jacumin are leading the charge against alcohol sales.
The opposition believes alcohol sales would endanger the children, families, history and heritage of Valdese. The group believes taxes would increase as costs rise for police and the criminal-justice system, health care and welfare.
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