hattip to Drudge - Ingenious or Insideous? You decide.
Thatâs the plan at todayâs East End Festival. Monroe County Democrats have teamed up with High Falls Brewery to offer two free 2-ounce beers to those who register to vote at the festival.
| A two-ounce beer? Two entire ounces? Wowzers. |
Then the new voter can go into a real voting booth and pick the brew they liked the most. The promotion is called âRegister Your Taste.â The goal is to encourage people older than 21 to register to vote and to simulate the experience of voting. But alcohol treatment counselors fizzled on the idea, saying organizers shouldnât link drinking with the civic duty of voting.
Frank: Hey, Mel. Youâre kind of staggering. Did you register to vote?
Mel: Sure did, Frank. [Hick!] 88 times. [Belch.]
Frank: I can tell, Mel. Youâre looking kind of green arouind the gills. What do you say I help you stagger on over to the Port-O-Let and let you register a vote for Ralph Nader?
Mel: Zzzz Okeee. [fart] âI think there are other ways to motivate people to vote other than give them alcohol,â said Elaine Milton, director of the chemical dependency clinic at the Family Service of Rochester Inc.
| If you're gonna give 'em "alcohol" make it a little more healthy dose that two entire ounces of beer... |
Molly Clifford, head of the Monroe County Democrats, stressed that the event is not aimed at encouraging alcohol consumption and that the samples are small. The initiative, backed by High Falls CEO Tom Hubbard and Moe Alaimo, president of the East End Business District, will also take place at two other East End festivals later this summer and at two Red Wings games. The booth will be open from 6 to 8 tonight at Alaimoâs store, Havana Moeâs, 200 East Ave. âItâs just a fun way to get young people interested in voting,â Clifford said... Participants will vote between High Fallsâ two new beers, Dundeeâs Amber Lager and Pale Ale, both to be introduced this fall. Hubbard said the event is a good marketing opportunity for the local company and a way to help a good cause. About 20,000 people, largely those in their 20s, attend each East End festival.
Clifford said she and Hubbard developed the idea, a nonpartisan affair, because locally and nationally itâs difficult to get young people to vote. Statistics show that the 18-to-24 age group has the lowest percentage of registered voters and number of people who come to the polls. Since 1972, the young voter participation rate has declined by about 13 percent overall â the largest drop of any age group, according to the National Association of Secretaries of State. In Monroe County, less than 8 percent of registered voters are ages 18 to 24, also the lowest of any age group.
Jennifer Kunselman, 27, of Rochester said festival attendees could benefit from being able to register to vote there. Yet she said having the option at a Red Wings game would be even better. âI think itâs important to target a younger audience,â Kunselman said. âBut there is a whole other population that wonât be frequenting the festival.â David Mammano, president of the local chapter of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization, said the idea is good because it promotes voting, but he doubts it will help. He said people will vote if they want to, not because of free beers. âMaybe they will have better luck if they have beer on Election Day.â
Two reasons not to try this promotion in Cleveland:
Incident 1
Incident 2 |