‘There is a need for raising awareness’ - Brixton Brewery provides information and photo booths ahead of England local elections

03-May-2023 - Last updated on 04-May-2023 at 15:01 GMT

Brixton Brewery wants to raise awareness for the government's changes to voting rules, which now require photo ID. Source: Peter Fleming/Getty Images

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Tomorrow, 4 May, England will vote in its local elections, where the public will elect councillors for district and metropolitan councils and unitary authorities. Many young people are not aware that, under new laws, voters must have photo ID in order to vote. Beer company Brixton Brewery are now promoting awareness of the laws through a new campaign.

Brixton Brewery, in a limited partnership with Broadland and South Norfolk Councils managing director of Broadland and South Norfolk, Trevor Holden (also known by his rap name T-Dawg) has put a range of informational stickers about the election on a range of their cans and pint glasses, as well as informative coasters. The campaign, ‘Yes We Cans’, has even set up free booths in which people can get a photo ID for the big day.

Mobilising the young

The UK government recently made it compulsory for voters to carry photo ID in order to vote. However, according to Brixton Brewery many young people are not aware of the new laws, and do not have the required ID.

“Our research suggests that a quarter of Gen Z are not aware of the new regulations,” Brixton Brewery co-founder Xochitl Benjamin told FoodNavigator, “and we believe this is connected to a bigger issue as over 11 million people in the UK do not have a passport or a driving licence!

“A lot of people, I'm sure, will naturally assume the process is the same as previous years. There is always a need for raising awareness as it’s all very new for everyone in the UK!”

According to the company's research, one in 10 Brits don’t have the photo ID required to vote. The research, which surveyed 2,000 people and was carried out by market researcher 3gem, found that around 20% of Gen Z don’t even know where their ID is.

Access to a photo ID is split unevenly across the UK population, with 24% of white people not holding a full driving licence, compared to 31% of people with mixed ethnicity, 38% of Asian people and 48% of black people.

Therefore, raising awareness is vital, as is providing people who don’t have photo ID with the means of getting some.

Picture perfect

As well as raising awareness, Brixton Brewery will provide people with the opportunity to take photos for their ID. Partnering with Laine Pubs, they will install photo booths in pubs around London and Brighton, and give people the opportunity to get ID for free.

“Our photo booth created pictures [are] to be used for any and all valid photo identification documents, such as a passport, driving license, or proof of age card,” Benjamin told us.

“The ID requirements are here to stay, so every voter will need a photo ID to vote in person for all elections from now on. We thought this was a great opportunity to raise awareness and reach people who may not hear about this in other ways.”

Brixton calling

According to Benjamin, the campaign is inspired by the spirit of Brixton, and by its unique place in politics and culture.

“Brixton is a place where music, arts, culture, and food combine, and this is what makes [it] so distinctive,” she told us. “Our community is made up of people from all backgrounds who strive to make Brixton something greater than the sum of its parts.”

“There’s a long tradition of activism in Brixton. It’s the kind of place where people speak out about important issues and things that matter. With campaigns like Yes We Cans, we want to encourage people to have their say more broadly whenever they get the chance.”