Civic leaders in Northwest Florida are launching a free six-week course to combat voter apathy and boost civic engagement in the region.
The initiative, organized by Earth Ethics, the League of Women Voters of Pensacola Bay Area, Escambia County Democratic Party, Northwest Florida Panhandle Coalition for Civic Engagement, and Movement for Change, aims to educate residents on government functions and empower them to participate in the democratic process.
The course will cover topics including the U.S. Constitution, federal, state, and local governments, and how to engage in local activities. In the 2024 General Election, unofficial voter turnout in Escambia County was 76.64%, according to the county’s Supervisor of Elections.
Speaking near that office in downtown Pensacola, organizers believe residents will be more active if they are more knowledgeable.
Derrick Scott, co-founder of the Northwest Florida Panhandle Coalition for Civic Engagement, said many voters lack understanding of how government policies affect them.
“We have an opportunity to learn exactly what the government is and how it impacts everyday life. Because I think there is a disconnect between the laws that are passed from Congress or even here at the state level to how they apply to you as a person,” he said.
Scott has seen firsthand how a lack of civic knowledge can leave voters feeling helpless.
“What we saw in the last election cycle — we got phone calls in our office asking simple questions which I think are common questions. But I was surprised to get them, like ‘How do I go back and change my vote?’ ‘Is there a path to do this?’ ‘What are the tariffs?’ And these are things that I think people, when we look at hindsight, should have asked prior to November 5th. Right? But they didn’t,” Scott continued.
Mary Gutiérrez, one of the organizers, said she believes this current day in politics is a perfect time for a civics lesson.
“I think there’s a real need for it now because of some of the things that we’ve been seeing, where people think that the three branches of government — one is higher than the other — when in fact they’re all three equal. And the reason they’re ia n place like that is because of the checks and balances to make sure we’re doing the right thing. And we are actually acting as a democracy,” she said.
Paula Montgomery, a board member with the League of Women Voters of Pensacola Bay Area, hopes the course will inspire more civic action.
“It’s a right that we have that we fought long and hard to get. And now it’s a responsibility that we need to live up to. I have a sticker on the back of my car that says, ‘Apathy is not an option.’ And I like that,” she said.
“If people understand not only how it [government] works, but how important it is for them to be engaged, then that’s what we hope for with these six lessons,”
The course begins Feb. 25 and runs every Tuesday through April 1, from 6-7:30 p.m. at Overflow Health Alliance 3101 N. Davis Highway. RSVP is welcomed but not required. Participants will receive a pocket-sized Declaration of Independence and a certificate upon completion.
