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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of local option

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

The voter-approved local option levy pays for 800 teaching positions, an advantage few other districts enjoy.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 3, 2023

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

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

Williams’s relationship with Oklahoma goes back further, but especially given pandemic-related uncertainty, he could decide on a local option.

From Washington Post • Jul. 1, 2020

The local option displays a local table of contents, containing only the sub-sections of the section in which it is declared.

From The Project Gutenberg RST Manual by Marcello Perathoner