The 2017 elections have come and gone. And, after the last races have been sorted out and Virginia’s new governor, Ralph Northam, holds his inauguration, the excitement will die down, the dust will settle and everyone and everything will get back to normal. The wheels of government—local, state and federal—will start once again to turn.

Except that, in spite of all the drama, frenzy and attention generated by a general election, the important stuff is what takes place after the last ballot is cast … the adoption of a budget, the creation and enforcement of laws.

It may be tempting to sit back and say “Okay, I’ve done my part. I voted. Now it’s up to them.” But just because we, the voters, have made our choices known, that doesn’t mean that our job is over. Far from it.

It’s been said that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. That perpetual state of watchfulness doesn’t just apply to keeping a wary eye on our na...