The Okfuskee County ballot measure would let licensed liquor stores sell retail spirits on Sundays from noon to midnight if voters approve it. The decision would determine whether Okfuskee joins the 12 of Oklahoma's 77 counties that currently permit Sunday liquor-store sales.
Oklahoma law requires voter approval at a county election for Sunday sales by liquor licensees, under the state's Title 37A alcoholic beverage statutes available through the Oklahoma Legislature. The 12-county count was reported by News On 6. Counties have had the option to put the question to voters statewide since 2017, according to a 2020 report from the Journal Record.
A Lifelong Resident Weighs In
News On 6 reported that lifelong Okfuskee County resident Justin Underwood plans to vote yes on the proposition.
Underwood pointed to potential local revenue, telling News On 6, “The tax on it would help our revenue and that on our town.”
The Only Liquor Store for Miles
News On 6 reported that Highway Liquor in Okemah is the only liquor store for miles. Tyler Cochran, who owns a milkshake stand across the street, told the station he hopes additional Sunday traffic would also benefit his business.
In counties that have approved Sunday sales, liquor stores may operate from noon until midnight, but each owner decides whether to open on a given Sunday, News On 6 reported. Approval in Okfuskee therefore would permit Highway Liquor to open Sundays but would not require it to do so.
How Other Counties Have Voted
Okfuskee's vote follows similar measures elsewhere in Oklahoma. In March 2020, voters in Oklahoma County and six other counties approved Sunday liquor sales for the first time in state history, the Journal Record reported. Oklahoma County's measure passed with more than 70% of 128,087 votes cast, while Tulsa County approved its version with more than 73% of 106,590 votes cast, according to the same report. Cleveland, Creek, Kingfisher, Muskogee and Washington counties also passed propositions that election. In a separate vote on March 3, 2020, Cleveland County voters approved Sunday liquor-store sales by 72.8%, according to NonDoc; that result does not predict how Okfuskee County will vote.
More recently, Seminole County voters approved a measure in June 2025 allowing alcohol sales at bars and restaurants every day, including Sundays, with that and three other propositions passing by margins above 60%, according to KOSU. Oklahoma County's rollout of Sunday sales years earlier also passed by a wide margin, with 71 percent of the vote in favor, a separate News On 6 report on that county's first Sunday of sales noted.
Sunday Sales Already Exist for Some Retailers
Grocery and convenience stores have had an advantage over liquor stores on this front since 2018, when they became allowed to sell wine and full-strength beer every day of the week, including Sundays. That earlier change means Okfuskee shoppers can already buy beer and wine on Sundays at grocery or convenience stores, while liquor stores like Highway Liquor remain closed unless voters extend their hours through the current proposition.
What the measure would—and would not—allow
The Oklahoma ABLE Commission says the Okfuskee proposal concerns Sunday retail spirits sales; Sunday sales by bars and restaurants are governed by separate county rules. The measure would not change the existing allowance for grocery and convenience stores to sell wine and full-strength beer on Sundays.
Oklahoma's ABLE Commission notes that counties retain the power to prohibit Sunday and holiday alcohol sales if voters choose, underscoring that the decision rests entirely with local voters rather than the state. For Underwood and others in Okfuskee County, the outcome will determine whether their community joins the growing list of Oklahoma counties that have opened the door to weekend liquor sales.
