Turnout-related drops in drink prices at the Vault and Guy’s Bar during the 2024 King’s College London Students’ Union (KCLSU’s) elections led to total savings of £1,020 for KCL students.
During the 2024 KCLSU elections, SU bars provided discounts on drink prices. These discounts were unlocked progressively once a set number of votes had been cast.
After the previous days’ voting, which took place between 4 and 7 March, the KCLSU elections team would update the venues to inform them if they had achieved the set number of votes needed to unlock the price drops. If these targets were hit, price drops would be applied to certain drinks.
At 1000 votes, the following non-alcoholic drinks were reduced in price:
- All mocktails were reduced from £3.70 to £2.70
- Heineken Zero (0.0%) was reduced from £3.40 to £2.40
- Kopparberg Alcohol-Free (0.05%) was reduced from £4.80 to £3.80
At 2500 votes, the cost of a pint of Amstel (4.1%) was reduced from £4.10 to £3.10. At 3500 votes, the cost of a double house spirit and mixer was reduced from £5.90 to £4.90. These price drops lasted until the 8 March.
After the first day of voting at polling stations (open from 10 am to 4 pm each day), and online voting (open from 8 pm to 8 am, but closed on 6 March), 2188 votes were met. Day two saw this rise to 3160; after day three, this figure surpassed 4700 votes.
Across Guy’s Bar and The Vault, students took advantage of the discounts, purchasing:
- 217 discounted alcohol-free drinks
- 258 discounted pints of Amstel
- 545 discounted double spirit and mixers.
This collectively resulted in King’s College London (KCL) students saving £1,020.
Both The Vault and Guy’s Bar advertised the potential price drops at the start of the voting period on 4 March. However, Guy’s Bar advertised the price decrease as each target was unlocked, whereas The Vault only advertised the price decrease on its Instagram once all targets had been unlocked on 7 March.
In addition to the price decreases, the KCLSU also posted a promotional video featuring a day in the life of Reggie the Lion as part of its campaign to get students to vote.
KCL’s neighbour, University College London (UCL) held an even more extravagant venture to encourage students to vote, installing a vintage Ferris wheel which students could ride for free in its main quad on 11 March. This was accompanied by carnival-style games in which UCL students could participate, as well as handing out prizes as part of its Vote Fest!
The KCLSU election results were announced on the 15 March. The webpage holding the election results crashed in the wake of the announcement but has subsequently been restored. The KCLSU presidency was won by Hassan Ali, on a platform of ‘imperative’ change. Ali is the incumbent Vice-President of Welfare and Community but has been confirmed to be suspended in a Roar exclusive. Whilst his, and two other KCLSU Officers’ disciplinary case is ongoing, should his public comments be found to be in violation of the Trustees’ Code of Conduct, his eligibility for the presidency would be in question.
There are KCLSU by-elections scheduled to take place in April.
BA European Politics Student
