Prop. 1, 2 Pass in Dallas

Dallas is still not totally wet all over, but all residents will soon be able to purchase beer and wine citywide with the passing of two propositions on Tuesday's ballot.

The passing of Proposition 1 will allow for citywide beer and wine sales while Proposition 2 will eliminate the requirement that restaurants act as private clubs to sell alcohol.

Given the turnout, many Dallas residents were obviously in favor of the propositions, saying they could increase tax revenue and bring new business -- but some also admitted they just wanted to be able to buy a six pack or bottle of wine without driving across town.

As with most things, there was opposition. In this case, a small faction mounted a campaign against the proposals and they don't plan to give up just because they lost the election.  In fact, they are so against the propositions they are planning a lawsuit to ask that the election be declared invalid.

"We may have lost a battle, but we're going out for the war," said Andrew Siegel, Dallas lawyer. "We've maintained all along that this was an improperly called election.  The city simply failed to verify that there were enough valid voter signatures on the petition to put this on the ballot in the first place."

Opponents of Prop 1, including Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway, have said that people who purposely bought homes in dry areas such as Oak Cliff should be able to keep it that way. Others added that dry areas would see increased crime if they were to go wet.

The opposition didn't mount much of a huge campaign and only raised $30,000 to fight the propositions. NBC DFW's Grant Stinchfield reports those campaigns came from liquor stores that apparently didn't want new competition in the area.

Dallas estimates more than 1,000 establishments will be requesting permits to sell beer and wine in southern Dallas.

Previous efforts to overturn Dallas' dry areas have been defeated. In recent years, other North Texas cities such as Irving, Arlington, Duncanville and Cedar Hill have reversed their dry statuses.

NBCDFW's Grant Stinchfield and Lita Beck contributed to this report.

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