Arab
Voters Approve Alcohol Sales
Vote Solidly Republican
November 5, 2008
Arab voters voted to
legalize the sale of alcohol by a margin of 334 votes in
Tuesday's referendum and voted overwhelmingly Republican in
state and national races.
| |
Community Center |
Recreation Center |
Absentee |
Totals |
|
Yes |
1,195 |
860 |
45 |
2,101 |
|
No |
1,005 |
711 |
51 |
1,767 |
|
Totals |
2,200 |
1,571 |
96 |
3,868 |
3,868 people voted in the
referendum, 754 more than voted in the last
referendum held November 2006. In that
referendum the legalization of alcohol sales
was rejected by a margin of 18 votes.
Legalized sales proponents picked up 535 new
voters in Tuesday's referendum compared with
219 new voters for those who opposed alcohol
sales when compared with the 2006 votes.
Approximately 71% of the registered voters
in the city cast a vote in the referendum
The Arab City Council has
scheduled a special meeting to certify the
referendum results for November 12 at 11
a.m. in the City Hall courtroom.
When it came to the general
election Arab voters went solidly for John
McCain for president. Arab voters also
chose Republicans over Democrats in all of the
county, state, and national races.
Republican candidate John
McCain received 3,753 (82.6%) votes compared
with 786 (17.4%) for the Democrat candidate
Barack Obama. County wide McCain took
78% of the vote while Obama received 21%.
Statewide McCain led with 60% of the vote to
Obama's 39%.
Republican incumbent Senator
Jeff Sessions trounced Democrat
challenger Vivian Figures with an 86% to 14%
margin in the Arab vote. Sessions drew
3,917 votes while Figures polled only 597.
Statewide Sessions was re-elected with a
63-37% majority.
4th Congressional District
congressman Robert Aderholt(R) also
accumulated a significant majority of local
votes. Aderholt lead Nicholas Sparks(D)
with a vote of 3,735 (83.5%) to Spark's 737
(16.5%). Overall Aderholt received 75%
of the vote in the 4th District.
In the race for Associate
Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court Greg
Shaw(R) led with 2,880 (65% ) votes to
Deborah Bell Paseur's(D) 1,542 (35%) votes.
Statewide the margin between Shaw and Paseur
is much smaller. With six precincts
unreported Shaw held a lead of just over
14,255 votes out of a total of more than 2
million cast in the race.
In the contest for Marshall
County Revenue Commissioner Joey Masters(R)
garnered 2,782 (62.5%) votes while Lynn
Walls(D) received 1,669 (37.5%) votes.
Countywide Masters polled 19,124 (59%) to
Walls' 13,153 (41%).
