The election may be over and a new president will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, but the American people do not have until then to inaugurate action to secure and reinforce American liberties.

While a great deal of this necessary action must come on the public policy front, it all begins with a more engaged citizenry.

Those American citizens who voted once this election performed their duty. They played by the rules. That’s a start, a beginning. More is needed.

But, those individuals who voted more than once, plus those who are not citizens but somehow cast ballots cheated America’s citizens. Both types of individuals scammed our system and committed fraud against the United States. They did not play by the rules. That must stop.

Those citizens who voted once must now become more actively involved in public service across the board in order to protect the ballot box and our American way of life.

Those individuals who committed fraud by voting more than once, as well as those who should not have voted, must cease and desist in all political activities. Those activities include participation in so-called community service organizations, which in too many instances are simply organized arms of the political parties, established to execute cloak-and-dagger politics that further undermine our democracy. Such activities are carried out at the local, state and national levels.

Those citizens who voted just once must now step up to the challenge of making sure that all political parties and other organizations play by the rules and operate only inside the “out-of-bounds” markers. Those same loyal citizens must demand that government does do what it was — and is — supposed to do as established in the U.S. Constitution. That is job No. 2. Job one is making sure the federal government is not doing anything other than what was specifically prescribed by the founders.

All citizens must understand and accept that our founding Constitution is the cornerstone of our country and the rule of law. Strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution is what ensures our freedoms and the consistency of the laws that form our justice system.

The founders wisely defined the role of the Judiciary and limited it to interpret only, not legislate, and to arbitrate between the Executive and Legislative branches only when stalemated.

Too often, politicians and interest groups use the courts at all levels to manipulate the system to their own ends. This is an end-run around the democratic process and if allowed to continue threatens the fabric of our system. The founders wisely defined the specific process to be followed in every instance in which the people, or their elected representatives, desired to undertake the process to attempt to amend the U.S. Constitution.

We hear a lot of people from both sides of the aisle and all across the political spectrum say that we need an end to the divisiveness in politics. We’re told we need to rise above the partisanship and the rancor. We can do that by hewing as close as possible to the system of government our Founding Fathers created and bequeathed to us.

Let’s have open and honest debates in the public square. Let’s welcome all points of view and let the truth win out on the merits.

Richard Olivastro is a professional member of the National Speakers Association, president of Olivastro Communications and founder of Citizens For Change. He can be reached at Rich@Olivastro.NET or 877.RichSpeaks.