Without voting, Ind. counties still face booze ban for election

MUNSTER, Ind. – Alcohol was not sold during election hours in Indiana’s second-most populous county even though no one was going to the voting booths.

The state legislature passed a bill mandating a referendum in Lake County and three others on creating a northwestern Indiana transportation district. But officials in Lake and LaPorte counties refused to approve money for a special election Tuesday that wouldn’t have anything else on the ballot.

State Alcohol and Tobacco Commission chairman Thomas Snow said the agency must enforce the Election Day ban in those counties since the referendum is mandated by state law.

The Times of Munster reported that the agency ordered alcohol permit holders to not sell alcohol from 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Snow said state excise police officers would issue citations for violations.