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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- People in Utah won't have to wait for polls to close on Election Day before they can order a glass of wine or a cocktail at a bar or restaurant under a bill the Legislature approved today.
In Utah, only beer that is 3.2 percent alcohol by weight can be sold on Election Day until polls close at 8 p.m.
The law dates back to when bars also served as polling locations, and there were fears that politicians were bribing voters with liquor. Bribing voters is already illegal.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Scott McCoy, D-Salt Lake City, says it's time Utah enters the modern era and ends the prohibition.
Senate Bill 167 has already passed in the Senate, and on Wednesday it passed in the House 55-13.
Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman is expected to sign the bill into law.
The bill's passage marks a significant departure in the way state lawmakers have treated liquor laws. Traditionally, legislators have been opposed to making alcohol of any kind more accessible.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
