OLYMPIA, Wash. — The cavernous stores in Costco's home state lack something you can find in its warehouses in California, Alaska and many other places: bottles of Maker's Mark, Absolut vodka and other popular brands of hard liquor.

But two ballot measures on the November ballot — one heavily backed by Issaquah-based Costco Wholesale Corp. — would largely sweep away Washington's post-Prohibition restrictions on liquor.

Initiative 1100 would abolish the state liquor distribution and sales system in favor of private businesses. It would also eliminate beer and wine price controls and bans against volume discounts which have been in place since the 1930s.

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