Sheffield’s Red Deer Offers a Free Pint for Polling Card

A Sheffield pub is offering drinkers a free pint if they register to vote, as part of a national scheme.

The city centre’s Red Deer, on Pitt Street, is taking part in the national ‘Vote This Year Get Free Beer’ scheme.

The scheme was originally started in a Bristol pub for the 2016 EU referendum and is now a nationwide programme. This is the first time that the Red Deer has been involved.

Licensee, Jake Nickels, said despite the cost to the pub it’s a price well worth paying:

“It will cost money, but it will cost more if people don’t get involved. The cost is no issue compared to the greater good.”

“If you look at past couple of elections there’s not been a good representation of society,” he said.

The drive is targeting 18-24 year olds, where voter turnout in previous elections has been low.

At the 2015 general election, only 43% of people in that group voted.

Registered voters need to bring in an email confirmation of their voter registration, or alternatively their polling card with voter registration ID.

33-year-old Nickels, who has run the pub for seven years, said:

“Your vote does count, feeling apathetic does make you feel like your voice isn’t going to be heard. Register and it will be.”

3.3k – Tweet SHARES

Feature image (insert) courtesy: cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Glyn Baker – geograph.org.uk/p/2368418