CSPAN is in Jefferson City today for its “50 Capitals Tour” to engage with young people prior to the 2018 elections. What better way to do that than with a White House theme selfie station and touch screen tablets with government-related games? Fourth grader Ben Markway of Jefferson City tells Missourinet he came with his family to learn about politics.
“I learned about the Senate and how many people are in it,” says Markway. “I thought it was around 100 but it’s 435.”
Markway says he scored 8 out of 10 on the first quiz and 10 out of ten on the next quiz.
Vicki Meyers of Jefferson City says she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see CSPAN in town.
“It’s neat to be a part of the national scene here in Jeff City,” says Meyers. “We’re a force to be reckoned with, Jefferson City, and we’ve got a lot to say.”
Visitors could also offer their views on video about state and federal issues.
The network’s bus is also equipped with a high-tech definition TV production studio and a touch and swipe television with 360 degree video. Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, R, made a live appearance from the bus this morning on CSPAN’s “Washington Journal”. He spoke about the state’s newly-implemented voter ID law.
Jefferson City Mayor Carrie Tergin, who is a regular user of today’s technology and social media advances, says she’s glad the bus created an interactive political experience for kids.
“There were so many different things you could learn in that bus today,” says Tergin. “We hope that students will take that with them and also just the love of history and also our community. How cool it is that CSPAN came here and why did they come here? We are the capital city. We take it for granted. We are here every day. We drive by our beautiful capitol.”
The tour bus program has been around for 25 years.
