Democracy and drinking. (Insert a long, hard, exhausted sigh.) I'm not going to connect all the dots with how much our democracy is tied to drinking, going all the way back to George and Martha's home brew. Just trust me, for the love of God trust me, being a good American and drinking go hand-in-hand.
That's exactly what SMU alum Rupal Dalal had in mind when she and her husband Ron Rodenberg created Drink for Democracy, a social take on political activism.
Dana Centola is helping Dala and Rodenberg with the movement/project and explained how the idea was conceived, "They did early voting in the primaries downtown and they went to vote pretty late in the day, and they were only the fourth and fifth people to vote. Rupal was a little depressed that people weren't taking this seriously."
So, they're trying to motivate people to get more involved in not just the presidential election, but also the local races. They've created a website to provide comprehensive information about local elections. For added encouragement, there are various happy hours to reward political engagement.
They emphasize that there's no party affiliation, just a desire to get people to drink together. I mean vote! Vote en masse. Then drink. Drink en masse! Responsibly, of course -- and we mean both drinking and voting here.
The Drink for Democracy website includes a calendar with important dates, an election guide, candidate information and cab numbers.
On October 27, Drink for Democracy will host a happy hour at DISH, Restaurant and Lounge (4123 Cedar Springs Road).
