We’ve been guardedly optimistic in recent years by signs that many of the state’s residents are becoming more plugged in and educated about everything from the Constitution to the nuts-and-bolts of electoral process. As Thomas Jefferson rightly said, “Democracy demands an educated and informed electorate.”

We’ve been pessimistic about how Florida Republican politicians, especially those in the Legislature would behave given the supermajorities they enjoy in both houses. That pessimism has been unfortunately confirmed by a series of self-dealing scandals, budgetary trickery, voter suppression efforts and, most recently, by an effort this year to turn the state Constitution into a vehicle for inserting ideological priorities into what is supposed to be a framework for flexible self-government.