Four Elected Officials to Join A Starting Point and BridgeUSA in Post-Election Forum

Nov. 7, 2020

San Francisco, CA —A Starting Point (ASP) and BridgeUSA have teamed up with Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Former Governor John Kasich (R-OH), and Representatives Judy Chu (D-CA) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) for a national post-election student forum called “Burst Your Bubble” on November 10th at 8pm ET. Senator Kaine and Governor Kasich will answer student questions about college affordability and reducing student loan debt, and Congresswoman Chu and Congressman Johnson will debate if we should eliminate the electoral college.

During the one-hour, live-streamed event, student attendees will also join small discussion groups to engage in BridgeUSA moderated discussions about the election. These groups will be regionally and ideologically diverse so students have the opportunity to learn from each other about lived experiences, and build empathy for those with whom they disagree. 

“Our mission is to empower young people and equip universities with the tools needed to foster civic engagement,” said BridgeUSA CEO Manu Meel. “Focusing on students to inform and engage them in productive ways will foster grassroots alliances to improve our politics.”

“We are proud to work with BridgeUSA to help young Americans engage with their lawmakers, practice civility, and have constructive conversations about politics with their peers from all backgrounds,” said Mark Kassen, co-founder of ASP. 

The University of California Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, which represents the entire University of California network of ten campuses, will sponsor the forum. Upwards of 25 universities have joined with ASP and BridgeUSA to make the event possible, with the understanding that viewpoint diversity and productive political engagement are important to campuses post-election.

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