NJ borough ends more than a century as a dry town with 2026 election vote
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NEW JERSEY - After well over a century as a dry town, Collingswood voters have decided it’s time for a drink. The ballot question to lift the borough’s ban on alcohol sales passed by about 20 points, according to unofficial results from the Camden County Clerk’s Office.
BYOB town no more?
What we know:
The borough’s municipal question passed with 3,506 "yes" votes to 2,322 "no" votes, according to the clerk’s unofficial Tuesday night results, with all 12 Collingswood precincts reporting. That’s a margin of 1,184 votes.
The question made the ballot because of residents. Under state law, at least 15% of voters who participated in the last general election must sign a public petition in favor of putting the question on the ballot, the Inquirer reported. The advocacy group Booze on the Ballot gathered those signatures, and the Collingswood Board of Commissioners passed a resolution in August to put the question in front of voters.
The number of licenses is tied to the borough’s population. State law allows one liquor license for every 3,000 residents.
What we don't know:
It’s not yet clear when the first licenses could be issued, how much they’ll cost or which businesses will apply. Mail-in and provisional ballots also may not be included in the unofficial count yet.
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What's next:
The results are unofficial until the county clerk certifies them. Borough officials would then need to set up the licensing process, which includes annual fees and public presentations by prospective licensees.
Remaining NJ dry towns
Big picture view:
Collingswood’s vote shrinks an already short list. New Jersey still has about 30 dry towns, but several have passed laws dropping the status in recent years, according to PhillyVoice.
Most of them are in South Jersey, with six in Salem County, five in Cumberland County, four in Camden County, three in Cape May and Burlington counties, and one in Atlantic County. Audubon Park and Haddonfield are the only other dry towns in Camden County.
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Collingswood isn’t the first to change course. Just down the White Horse Pike, Haddon Heights sold its first retail liquor license at a public auction in September after getting rid of its ban on alcohol sales in 2024. Up north, Rutherford voters approved a ballot measure in 2020 to end the town’s 115-year-old ban on liquor sales, and Rutherford’s first liquor license was issued to a restaurant in 2023.
Other dry towns, like Ocean City in Cape May County, have doubled down on their status. Ocean City, founded in 1879 by Methodist ministers, is still the best-known dry resort town on the East Coast.
The Source: Information in the article was sourced from unofficial election results from the Camden County Clerk’s Office, as well as previous reporting by The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philly Voice.