Last call

The sponsor of this alcohol-conrol bill to allow the sale of booze on Election Day won't be heard until the next legislative session, but some liquor store managers already offer a valid argument for it: We have early-voting provisions now, so what's the point of banning sales of that one "official" day?

The law is very outdated, it's probably 100 years old.  It comes from a time when politicians used to try and buy people's votes," said Stephen Rowlett.

"I think that's be a very good move, the law is antiquated. The days of buying and selling votes with alcohol are long long gone," said Camilla Cripps.

Actually, I suspect the prohibition is more about having clear-headed voters than about buying votes for alcohol. Many polling places used to be in taverns, and it was thought to be a bad idea to have people getting drunk where people were voting. At least we can have a drink starting as soon as the polls close on Election Day. Considering the choices we often have, many voters probably really need one.