Liquor referendums are on tap for November ballots in three Southeast Tennessee towns: Kimball and Whitwell in Marion County and Dunlap in Sequatchie County.

“There’ll be two referendums on the November ballot for the city of Dunlap,” Sequatchie County Election Administrator Linda Pittman said.

Dunlap voters will decide on sales of liquor by the drink and whether to allow retail liquor stores, Ms. Pittman said.

She said this is the first time in the 26 years she’s been involved in elections that Dunlap has had a liquor question on the ballot.

In Marion County, Kimball voters will decide whether to allow liquor by the drink, while Whitwell voters will decide whether to allow retail package sales, Election Administrator Holly Henegar said.

Mrs. Henegar said Jasper, Monteagle and South Pittsburg already have liquor laws in place.

State election officials said referendum petitions have been circulating in communities across the state.

“I can tell you there must be several, based on the number of calls I’ve gotten,” said Beth Henry-Robertson, assistant coordinator of elections in Nashville.

“I know during the summertime, we got tons of questions on it,” Ms. Henry-Robertson said. “But I don’t know how many followed up with petitions.”

Tennessee’s last surge in liquor votes was in 2002 when seven cities - Cleveland, Jasper, Signal Mountain, Jonesborough, Union City, McMinnville and Martin — passed liquor referendums, according to previously published reports.

If Sequatchie County voters OK liquor by the drink, Sunday beer sales also will become legal, according to the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

State law regulates retail alcohol sales hours. Those are 8 a.m. to 3 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday to 3 a.m. Monday, said Shari Danielle Elks, Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission executive director.

Cities may pass resolutions to start Sunday sales at noon, Ms. Elks said.

Cities have little control over liquor by the drink rules, she said. But if voters approve package stores, towns may apply restrictions based on location, applicants and residency.