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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The amount of liquor licenses retailers can hold in Massachusetts is apparently not going to change. The Associated Press projects the majority of Massachusetts residents voted "no" on Ballot Question Three.
The 'yes' vote would have raised the roof on the number of alcoholic beverage sale licenses (including wine and beer) that stores can hold incrementally over the course of the next decade, while putting a cap on the number of "all-alcoholic beverages" licenses retailers can possess.
The proposal called for face-to-face transactions to become mandated in liquor stores, restricts unmanned and self-checkout options for consumers looking to purchase alcoholic drinks.
The question also would have required vendors to accept out-of-state IDs as reasonable proof of age.
Those arguing in favor of the initiative, like Massachusetts Package Stores Association, said its implementation would have made for more commerce, while removing a hurdle for business with out-of-state tourists visiting Massachusetts.
Meantime, Food Stores for Consumer Choice, an organization against the proposed law, said a "yes" majority to Question 3 doesn't do enough for liquor sellers. Specifically they say the law offers an "incomplete solution to a complex problem," and does not do much to encourage competition or expand consumer choices.
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