Historic vote nixes 150-year booze ban in once-dry New Jersey town

A suburb of Philadelphia has voted to end its long-standing ban on alcohol sales — reversing restrictions that date back more than 150 years.

Voters in Collingswood, New Jersey, approved a ballot measure on Nov. 3 allowing alcohol sales at licensed establishments. The move lifts restrictions that have existed in the town since the 19th century.

The ballot question read, "Shall the retail sale of all kinds of alcoholic beverages, for consumption on the licensed premises by the glass or other open receptacle... be permitted in this municipality?"

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Election data obtained by Fox News Digital from Camden County show that 3,635 residents voted in favor of the measure, while 2,381 people voted against it.

The measure passed with roughly 60.4% of the vote, compared with 39.6% opposed, a margin of 1,254 votes.

A total of 6,016 votes were cast on the municipal question, with all 12 precincts reporting.

The town's alcohol restrictions date back to 1873, when residents voted to ban alcohol sales in the area, then part of Haddon Township, according to a 2019 environmental resource inventory published by the Borough of Collingswood.

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In 1935 — two years after Prohibition ended — Collingswood residents voted against a ballot measure that would have allowed retail alcohol sales and the issuance of liquor licenses.

A total of 3,859 voted against the measure and just 774 in favor, according to a New Jersey Alcoholic Beverage Control bulletin from that year.

Collingswood Deputy Mayor Amy Henderson Riley welcomed the results, calling the vote "historic."

"After 91 years, Collingswood is no longer a dry town," Riley said in a social media post, referring to the 1935 ballot measure. "That's historic."

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A month before the election, Reddit users in a South Jersey-themed forum debated whether Collingswood should lift its longstanding alcohol ban.

"Collingswood is an epicenter of food in South Jersey and deserves a liquor license," one person said.

"The alcohol ban is dumb and people are scared of change," another Redditor wrote.

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Others were divided over whether allowing alcohol sales would benefit the borough's restaurant scene.

"I don't know. I like the whole BYOB vibe," a Redditor said. "I'd rather spend my money on good food."

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"Counterpoint: Collingswood is an epicenter of food in SJ because there are no liquor licenses," another person said. "Restaurants succeed or fail based on the quality of their food and not their ability to finance a license."

The vote came as another centuries-old alcohol restriction faces scrutiny, with the U.S. Supreme Court agreeing to review a federal ban on distilling spirits at home.

The law, which dates back to 1868, prohibits Americans from making whiskey and other distilled spirits at home, even for personal consumption, as Fox News Digital previously reported.