Collingswood voters approve alcohol sales, reversing century-old restrictions
Unofficial Camden County election results show nearly 60% of voters supported allowing alcohol sales for consumption at licensed establishments.
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Collingswood voters approved a ballot measure Tuesday allowing alcohol sales at licensed establishments, overturning restrictions that have defined the Camden County borough for more than a century.
The measure received 3,506 votes in favor and 2,322 against, according to unofficial results from the Camden County Clerk’s Office. All 12 precincts reported results.
The question asked voters whether to permit the retail sale of alcoholic beverages by the glass or other open container for consumption on licensed premises, including restaurants and bars.
The borough’s restrictions date to 1873, when residents of what was then part of Haddon Township voted to prohibit alcohol sales, according to a historical account in Collingswood’s 2019 Environmental Resource Inventory. The vote came two years after a railroad stop was established in the community and 15 years before Collingswood incorporated as a borough in 1888.
In 1935, borough voters rejected another referendum to allow retail alcohol sales, with 3,859 voting against the proposal and 774 in favor, according to historical state alcohol-control records.
Deputy Mayor Amy Henderson Riley called Tuesday’s outcome historic in a Facebook post Wednesday.
"After 91 years, Collingswood is no longer a dry town," Riley wrote.
Riley said more information would follow about liquor license applications and the steps needed to implement the change.
"This is a big change, and we will move forward together with the public and our businesses," she wrote. "This will take time and patience."
The election results remain unofficial pending certification.
