Tom and Steuart Walton each contributed $37,500 in July to Keep Dollars in Benton County, the group pushing to allow retail alcohol sales in the county, according to a report filed Wednesday by the state Ethics Commission.
The two Walton heirs each gave $27,500 on July 2 and another $10,000 each on July 23, the report shows.
Tom and Steuart Walton, who are Sam Walton’s grandsons, have contributed a total of $217,500 each to the group, or a combined $435,000, the report states. The group raised another $50,000 from convenience stores and other sources, records show.
Most of the money raised went to National Ballot Access, the Georgia company paid to collect enough signatures from registered voters to place the alcohol sales question on the Nov. 6 general election ballot.
Keep Dollars in Benton County submitted 56,635 signatures to the county clerk on July 12 for certification. The group submitted extra signatures expecting some to be rejected as invalid.
County workers finished verifying the required 41,171 signatures on July 23, and no one challenged the signatures in circuit court, meaning the question will appear on the ballot.
The 41,171 signatures needed to put the issue before the public is 38 percent of the 108,346 voters registered in Benton County on June 1.
