Today, Arkansas maintains 30 dry counties where alcohol sales remain banned, a legacy of the 21st Amendment''s unique approach to ending Prohibition. Ratified on December 5, 1933, the amendment repealed the 18th Amendment and became the only constitutional amendment ever to overturn a previous one. Between April and November 1933, nearly 21 million Americans voted in state ratifying conventions, with 73 percent favoring repeal.
The amendment is also unique for being ratified by state conventions rather than legislatures, a faster method chosen to bypass Prohibition supporters in state capitals. Section 2 of the 21st Amendment gave states complete authority to regulate alcohol within their borders, which is why Kansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee remain dry by default, requiring counties to specifically authorize alcohol sales. This state control has led to a patchwork of regulations across America, from bone-dry counties in the Bible Belt to wide-open liquor laws in Nevada and Louisiana.