That is still the issue in every election. But we cannot stop there. It is an issue that we now must press beyond elections and into the very face of Washington, D.C. Those of us who have been pinning our hopes solely on elections season after season have come to see that even dramatic changes in personnel won’t be enough to free us from an oppressive, overreaching government.

To take just one example, even if conservatives could muster the political will to repeal Obamacare, our health care would only be safe from the long arms of Washington, D.C. until the next time we are out-voted by those who see the government as the provider of their needs rather than the protector of their liberties.

Our self-governance will only be truly restored to us if we do the hard work of reinstating the restraints that have been undone.

The federal government has taken our money, our liberty, and our dignity. Article V of the Constitution is our trump card. It’s time for us to learn how it works and use it to rein in the federal leviathan.

To learn more about The Convention of States Project, visit www.conventionofstates.com.