Gov. Mark Sanford stepped into the minibottle referendum debate and is urging a yes vote, citing safety and economic development concerns and slamming the liquor distributors who oppose the change.

Sanford has long favored changing to free-pour but decided to call a news conference and rally Monday at the Capitol in response to ads suggesting there is no plan for changing over to free-pour.

A plan for implementing the change passed both the House and the Senate at the end of the last legislative session but was stymied by a filibuster.

The rally was held along with Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which also supports ending the requirement that bars serve drinks made with the 1.7-ounce bottles, and members of the hospitality industry.

"The bottom line is that our state shouldn't mandate pouring the stiffest drinks in the country, which is what you end up getting with the minibottle," Sanford said at the rally.

The industry standard for a cocktail is 1.25 ounces of liquor.

The ballot question would remove from the state constitution the requirement that liquor by the drink be served with minibottles.

A new organization called Palmetto Hospitality Association is sponsoring radio and TV ads that say there is no plan for the change and that "no plan, no way."

Because it does not specifically ask people to vote no, the organization does not have to report who is backing it, the State Ethics Commission says.

Sanford said he is disturbed that "a small group of liquor companies" can attempt to influence the election and no one can find out who is paying.

A consultant who helped form the organization said it is composed of liquor distributors, wholesalers and bar owners.

No one representing the organization could be reached Tuesday.

Scott Harrelson, manager of Thoroughbred's restaurant in Myrtle Beach, has been a backer of the free-pour movement for years and attended the rally.

Harrelson said the liquor companies are fighting to keep their markup on minibottles. The markup is even larger for the high-end brands served in his restaurant, he said.

"I just hope the general public can see through this thing," he said.

State Sen. Wes Hayes, R-Rock Hill, was the author of the free-pour plan that passed the Senate. He said he is certain the same plan, which legislators have worked on for four years, will pass early in the next legislative session if voters approve the change.

The other way the Palmetto Hospitality Association ads are misleading people is saying that "hospitality is our No. 1 industry" and implying that the industry opposes the change when, in fact, it favors the change, Hayes said.

"There's no way to defend our current system," so those who want to hold onto the minibottles are criticizing legislators hoping to stir up anti-government feelings, Hayes said.