local option

American  

noun

1. a right of choice exercised by a minor political division, as a county, especially as to allowing the sale of liquor.

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local option British  

noun

1. (esp in Scotland, New Zealand, and the US) the privilege of a municipality, county, etc, to determine by referendum whether a particular activity, esp the sale of liquor, shall be permitted there

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Etymology

Origin of local option

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

Fife Council said it was working to explore other options to keep the family together until a more local option becomes available.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2023

But the group is particularly set against the local option in HB 1628, which would affect sales under $5 million, Gorton said.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 10, 2023

It took courageous and farsighted judges to stand up and say that civil rights are not dispensed in our country by local option.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2021

The heads of two of the nine national organizations that administer the resettlement program for the State Department's Office of Refugee Resettlement have been blunt in their criticism of the local option policy.

From Salon • Oct. 24, 2019

And if the English people are called upon to give a verdict on a local option bill, the result is rather uncertain.

From Ireland as It Is And as It Would be Under Home Rule by Buckley, Robert John