EU asks Taylor Swift to engage with young voters

In a surprising move ahead of this year's June parliamentary elections, the European Union (EU) has publicly invited American pop star Taylor Swift to engage with the European youth. Swift, who recently surpassed the 'King of Rock and Roll' Elvis Presley to become the solo artist with the longest reign atop the Billboard album chart, received the invitation from Margaritis Schinas, the vice president at the European Commission, during a press conference held in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday (local time).

"Swift is coming to Europe in May. Therefore, I really hope that she will do the same thing here for the youth of Europe as she did (by encouraging voter registration in the United States)," said Schinas during the conference on Tuesday. This refers to Swift's statement in November 2018, just before the U.S. midterm elections, where she declared her support for Democratic candidates, which sparked a significant increase in youth voter registrations. The EU is now seeking a similar effort to engage more young voters in Europe.

The vice president highlighted the significance of Swift's European tour, which begins on May 9 and coincides with 'Europe Day,' commemorating peace and solidarity in Europe. Schinas remarked, "No one can mobilize youth better than young people," emphasizing Swift’s potential to engage with young voters effectively.

Last September, Swift's call for voter registration among American youth via social media resulted in 35,000 registrations within a day, garnering widespread attention. Schinas openly expressed his hope that someone from Swift's media team would convey the EU's request to her after watching the press conference.

The elections, scheduled from June 6 to 9 across 27 EU member states, will elect 720 members of the European Parliament to serve a five-year term. Given the pronounced surge of right-wing sentiment, the EU deems the participation of young voters crucial in curbing this trend.


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com