A sweet little pigeon and a Gen Z team – this is how the mobilization of young voters for the European elections on Sunday should succeed
Swipe for 5 minutes like on Tinder and then explore your results in a Spotify-wrapped-inspired view – garnished with references to Taylor Swift. This is what the open source election worker app Palumba promises on the occasion of the European elections on Sunday. Anyone who is still undecided should be offered guidance and support in making their voting decision.
Resounding success
With over 130,000 matches found and top rankings in the App Store in 10 European countries, Palumba is already a complete success. Palumba received encouragement and support very early on from major institutions such as the European Parliament, the Chamber of Labor and numerous national youth councils. At the launch event in Barcelona, the official spokesman for the European Parliament, Jaume Duch, indicated that he was personally following the project and that it also gave him great hope as a private individual.
A pigeon made in Austria
The idea for Palumba came about at the European Forum Alpbach in Austria. There, in a small village in the Alps, the team from countries across Europe came together. The goal was inspired by the forum itself: to break down the often very abstract EU bubble into the language of young people and to inspire them to vote on Sunday.
“The idea is not to influence the election in one direction, but to show young people parties that stand up for their ideas. “To show you why it might be worth voting on Sunday.”
By young people for young people
Palumba is supported by a team of over 150 volunteers from all 27 EU member states and beyond. This results in an enormous diversity of opinions, political orientations and approaches, which only makes the project even stronger. Palumba is an organically grown grass roots project by young people for young people and is therefore particularly authentic.
Impartial and factual
The statements and topics that are swiped are the result of a months-long selection process. Compiled from suggestions from dozens of NGOs and youth representatives, the concerns were brought together with the help of a scientific advisory board and reduced to the 27 final questions. The weighting of the parties was carried out by the independent think tank CIDOB and also checked by the scientific advisory board. The result is meaningful statements with appropriate assignment to European parliamentary groups that you can rely on. All of this serves to encourage a comparison between topic areas and discourse between friends.
International reporting
“Viral effects are key to the app concept. The interface has been designed to be pleasant and easy to share on social media. (…) This June, some 365 million people will be eligible to vote in the EU Elections, including many young voters for whom social media is a vital resource for campaigning”
– Euronews 30.04.2024
Questions & Contact:
Palumba EU
More press resources at https://palumba.eu/de/media-center
Michael Kudler
Tel.: +43 660 5077849
Mail: hello@palumba.eu