COLORADO, USA — The business of booze is on the ballot.
Three separate ballot issues ask you different questions about expanding the ability of businesses to sell alcohol in Colorado.
Proposition 124 - Increase allowable liquor store locations
Voters failed to pass Proposition 124, with roughly 62% voting against adding liquor store locations.
A YES vote would have allowed retail liquor stores to have more locations than currently allowed. State law currently allows one liquor store owner to have three locations, and that will expand to four in 2027.
A NO vote keeps retail liquor store locations limited to three locations through 2026 and no more than four in 2027.
State law allows grocery stores are allowed to sell beer, wine and liquor in a maximum of eight locations. That increases to 13 in 2027, then 20 in 2032 and unlimited grocery store locations in 2037.
There is a caveat, however. For every new grocery store location selling full alcohol, the store has to buy out two retail liquor stores and all liquor stores within three or four blocks of the grocery store.
A YES vote puts retail liquor stores on the same timeline as grocery stores. Allowing retail liquor store owners up to 8 locations immediately, then 13 in 2027, 20 in 2032 and an unlimited number of locations in 2037.
Two quick statistics that you may want to know before voting.
According to the Colorado Department of Revenue, there are 1,562 liquor store locations in Colorado. Of those, 31 are owned by people with interests in more than one retail liquor store.
Put another way, 2% of retail liquor store owners take advantage of the ability to have up to three locations right now.
The other statistic of note is where the money is coming from to convince you to vote yes.
As we explained in a Proposition 124 political ad Truth Test, the campaign in favor is funded entirely by the Maryland owners of Total Wine & More. That store has the maximum three locations in Colorado and has a total of 243 locations in 27 states.
As of Oct. 28, the ownership group and subsidiaries of Total Wine & More have spent $12.9 million to convince you to vote yes.
Proposition 125 - Allow grocery and convenience stores to sell wine
A YES vote means that you are OK with grocery stores selling wine alongside the beer those stores already sell.
A NO vote means you do not want all grocery stores to sell wine…at least not yet.
As explained above in the Proposition 124 section, grocery stores are currently allowed up to eight locations where those stores can sell beer, wine and liquor. That is why some of you may already shop at a grocery store that sells wine.
Proposition 125 allows all grocery stores that sell beer to sell wine immediately.
Proposition 126 - Third-party delivery of alcohol
A YES vote means that you are OK with alcohol being delivered by third-party companies like DoorDash and Instacart. YES also means that bars and restaurants will be allowed to continue offering takeout and delivery alcohol permanently.
A NO vote means that alcohol can still be delivered, but only by employees of the bar, restaurant, liquor store or grocery store. NO also means that takeout and delivery alcohol will end when the state law expires starting in July 2025, unless state lawmakers extend that law with a new bill.
Bar, restaurants, liquor stores and grocery stores can currently deliver alcohol, but those businesses have to use their own employees, not a third-party delivery service.
Perhaps that is why Instacart has spent $4.3 million in the campaign to get you to vote yes.
DoorDash has spent $3.5 million in the yes campaign.
And Whole Foods, Target, as well as the parent companies for King Soopers (Kroger) and Safeway (Albertsons) have each contributed more than $1 million.
If Proposition 126 passes, alcohol delivery drivers must be 21 or older. They must also verify that the person receiving the alcohol is 21 or older and not intoxicated.
Any liability is on the delivery service, and not on the businesses that supplied the alcohol.
The amount of alcohol that can be ordered at one time is the equivalent of two bottles of wine, a 12-pack of beer and one liter of hard liquor.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Elections 2022