Pressure mounting for lawmakers to send alcohol plan to vote

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – A new plan for Oklahoma voters to decide whether wine and strong beer can be sold in grocery and convenience stores could be the first of many to make its way to the November ballot.

Oklahomans for Modern Laws is a group supported by an Oklahoma City beer enthusiast who spent more than $500,000 in a failed effort to get the measure on the ballot in 2012. The group filed paperwork this week to launch the latest signature gathering effort to put the question on the ballot.

Meanwhile, the players in Oklahoma’s alcohol industry – distillers, brewers, wholesalers, distributors and different retail groups – are working on a legislative plan to send the issue to a public vote.

If the negotiations fail, each separate faction could propose its own competing ballot measure.