The Election Commission staff on Monday afternoon counted enough valid petition signatures so there will be a referendum in November on whether to allow the sale of wine in grocery stores in Chattanooga.
The number of signatures required was 3,865.
Susie Alcorn, Red White and Food campaign manage said, “This is a great day for Chattanooga voters, who will have the opportunity to determine whether wine can be sold in their retail food stores. Gathering enough valid petition signatures has been a complicated process and would not have been possible without the support of Red White and Food’s retail partners in the area, including Bi-Lo, Food Lion and Publix. We are incredibly grateful to all of the interested residents who took the time to sign the petition.
“We are also appreciative of the Hamilton County Election Commission for keeping us informed throughout the signature verification process.”
However, the total fell short on a vote for the unincorporated area of Hamilton County. The number needed was 3,246. There were only 1,082 counted thus far and few pages of signatures left.
Getting the required number of signatures were Collegedale, East Ridge, Lakesite, Red Bank and Signal Mountain.
Soddy Daisy fell just short - with 302 valid signatures out of 333 needed.
However, there were enough signatures for a vote on allowing package stores in Soddy Daisy.
Lookout had 28 valid signatures with 94 needed.
Walden had five valid signatures with 85 needed.
Ridgeside, due to its small population, did not qualify.