After a contentious election, a bipartisan group of national leaders has issued a joint statement calling on the restoration of civility.

The 24 signees are all members of the University of Arizona’s National Institute for Civil Discourse. They include former Democratic and Republican members of Congress, cabinet members, as well as scholars and prominent media figures.

The statement calls the 2016 presidential election “one of the most bitter in history” and asks all Americans to work together to be respectful and move the nation forward.

“I don’t think that any of us is under the illusion that we can put this genie back in the bottle. I think we are looking at a decade at least to re-establish the norm of political and public discourse that fits American values," said Carolyn Lukensmeyer is the institute’s executive director.

UA’s National Institute for Civil Discourse was founded in response to the mass shooting in Tucson that claimed six lives and severely injured former Arizona Congresswoman
Gabrielle Giffords, who is one of the members.

Recent polling indicates more than two-thirds of Americans agree that civility has suffered, but many more say they find it acceptable.