There are two ways to change the Constitution. Most Americans do not fully understand either one.

This is a problem: Common citizens want change - desperately want things to improve - but do not know how to create it.

In contrast, there are a growing number of well-funded, organized professionals who know the law, the loopholes, and how to get what they want.

They are better prepared to win Constitutional change.

Too many American citizens are not.

• Consider the best athletes - superstars and the crucial role players - who enable teams to win championships. They enjoy the greatest freedoms and success because first, they play smart; and second, they work hard.

• They know the game, the opposition, their responsibilities. They study, train, get mentored, and constantly seek to be their best based on the facts - not emotion.

• American citizens who want to protect their rights must follow this example. Not to be a superstar, but to be a solid role player - a good steward responsible for maintaining our rights.

A free people who do not understand the process of maintaining their republic and guiding any changes cannot protect themselves from tyranny.

Here is how our Constitution can change - a quick summary. It takes four minutes to learn and it will serve you for the rest of your life.

Step one: Propose

An amendment has to be proposed before it can be anything at all. There are only two paths:

#1 - Congress

Two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate vote to propose an amendment.

This is the route every one of our 27 amendments has taken. All of them. Without exception.

#2 - Our States

Two-thirds of the state legislatures - 34 of 50 - apply for a convention to propose amendments.

If 34 apply, Article V says Congress shall call one. The approval of Congress is not required. This path has never been used in our nation’s history.

Step two: Ratify

This is the step almost everyone misses, and it is the one that decides everything.

Nothing changes until three-fourths of the states - 38 of 50 - ratify the proposed amendment. That is true no matter which path proposed it. A convention does not change the Constitution. Congress does not change the Constitution. Only 38 states do.

Congress decides how the states ratify: Through their legislatures, or through special ratifying conventions called for that purpose. Only one amendment has ever been ratified by state conventions - the 21st, which repealed Prohibition.

Why 34 is not the number that matters

You will hear that some movement is “20 of 34” or “28 of 34” or some other fraction of the way there. Understand exactly what that means, because it is easy to misread in both directions.

34 states applying triggers a convention. It amends nothing. A convention proposes; it does not ratify.

38 states ratifying is what changes the Constitution.

Anyone who tells you 34 states will rewrite the Constitution is mistaken. And anyone who tells you a convention is harmless because ratification still needs 38 is missing the point - because a convention changes what is on the table, and a people unprepared for that debate is a people at risk of losing their rights.

One more thing: Nobody agrees on the count

Counting applications is not arithmetic. It is interpretation.

States have filed Article V applications for many different purposes across many decades - a balanced budget, term limits, and others. Congress has never established a binding method for tabulating them.

Whether applications on different subjects, filed in different eras, can be added together toward the same 34 is legally unsettled.

That is why you will see different tallies from sincere people. The Convention of States effort - which would limit its convention to fiscal restraints, limits on federal power and jurisdiction, and term limits for federal officials - stands at 20 of the 34 required (as of July 2026). Other counts, aggregating differently, run higher.

We are not telling you which count is right. We are explaining the number of states said to have applied is contested - and that anyone who gives you a number without that caveat has not done the work.

Why this matters now

Constitutional moments are won long before the debate formally begins.

By the time an amendment is on the floor:

• The arguments have already been made;

• The coalitions already built; and

• The public has already decided what it thinks.

The people who prepared are the people who win.

Therefore, if common citizens - those most impacted by Constitutional change - show up at the last minute with strong feelings and no facts, or irresponsibly don’t pay attention to the process, then the common good loses.

Rather than give up your freedom, wouldn’t you rather be ready and civilly participate in the debate and contribute to the results?

If so, join us. We can do this.

Go deeper

The wisdom of our Constitution is powerful - arguably the most humane, balanced, and citizen-first structure of government ever devised. It has endured for more than two centuries. But our freedoms only survive when our Constitution is enforced.

We encourage you to better understand the Constitution - what it says, why it says it, and how it has been read and re-read over two centuries.

Here is an easy path: Listen to these free courses while at the gym, walking, driving - time you do have available no matter how busy you are. And complete the quizzes for each lesson when you’re not driving - when it’s safe to do so.

Even better - watch the courses with family and friends. Discuss what you learn.

• Constitution 101: The Meaning and History of the Constitution - https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/constitution-101

• Constitution 201 - https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/promo/constitution-201

• The Presidency and the Constitution - https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/promo/the-presidency-and-the-constitution

• Public Policy from a Constitutional Viewpoint - https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/promo/public-policy

NOTE: These free courses come from Hillsdale College, which is conservative. We recommend them for one reason: We have taken them, and they are overflowing with facts. If you know a course that offers similar value, please email us. We will consider it.

_{SOURCE: U.S. Constitution, Article V. Amendment counts and ratification history from the National Archives. Convention of States application count as of July 2026.}

Let’s start with the good news, because it is real.

This year, 70% of American adults can name all three branches of government - executive, legislative, and judicial. That is up from 65% a year ago, and it is the highest figure the Annenberg Public Policy Center has recorded.

Ask which rights the First Amendment guarantees, and 79% name freedom of speech - also the highest in the survey’s history.

Civic knowledge is climbing.

Now ask what those branches are for.

What we know, and what we do not

Freedom of speech is named by 79% of Americans. Each of the other four First Amendment rights is named by fewer than half. Freedom of religion, the next most often cited, is named by 48%.

Freedom of the press, the right to assemble, and the right to petition the government fall below that.

So nearly four in five of us can name one right we exercise every day. Fewer than half can name the right to worship as we choose. Fewer still can name the right to state our thoughts publicly, to assemble peacefully, or to demand that our government answer us.

This is just one example. If we go deeper, it is scary to consider how little most of us know about our rights and how our government is uniquely structured. But we all have opinions that lack a full factual foundation.

The result: Americans are rapidly abandoning our covenant with freedom - without realizing it, nor comprehending the risk.

Then there is the Court

Ask Americans whether they trust the Supreme Court to operate in their best interests. 41% say they have at least a moderate amount of trust. Ten months earlier it was 44%.

But the average is not the number that should stop you. The split is.

Among Republicans, 75% have at least moderate trust in the Court. Among independents, 38%. Among Democrats, 18%.

That is a 57-point gap between the two major parties, on a single institution - the one branch designed to stand furthest from politics.

Read that again.

The answer to “is the Supreme Court working in your interest?” no longer depends much on the Court. It depends on your party.

Why this is a major problem

Knowing the three branches of American government is a start. It is not the same as understanding how carefully and wisely our republic was designed to protect common citizens - and put us all on equal ground.

Citizens who can name the branches - but cannot say what they are for - have seen the roof of a house and assumed the whole structure is sound. They know nothing about the stability of the foundation, the framing, the wiring, the plumbing, or anything else that affects their ability to reside there long-term.

They may be able to provide a minimum outline of how a bill becomes law and have an opinion on whether the law is just - or not. But they do not read the law or study credible commentaries on the law.

That is the gap. Not knowledge of basic structure. The gap is comprehending the purpose of our government, how it operates, and whether the actions of our politicians and bureaucrats are consistent with our covenant to maintain what’s best for the common good.

If you do not know what the covenant is, you cannot tell when it has been broken. So, you take the easy route. Without question - or much thought - you accept the soundbites of your political party, a misguided zealot in the media, or a charismatic friend - which is precisely what the Supreme Court numbers show us doing.

Simple Liberty exists to teach you how to protect yourself, your loved ones, your assets, and your freedom. We can do this.

Go deeper

The thought, effort, and integrity of our Founders’ design of the United States of America is unique in all the world’s history.

We are not the only place to learn how our American republic works, and we would not want to be. It’s in your best interest - especially during these turbulent times - to better comprehend how our government was built and what it was designed to protect.

Here is an easy path:

Listen to these free courses while at the gym, walking, driving - time you do have available no matter how busy you are. And complete the quizzes for each lesson when you’re not driving - when it’s safe to do so.

Even better - watch the courses with family and friends. Discuss what you learn.

• Introduction to the Constitution - https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/promo/intro-to-the-constitution

• The Real American Founding: A Conversation - https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/promo/real-american-founding

• Congress: How It Worked and Why It Doesn’t - https://online.hillsdale.edu/landing/congress

• American Citizenship and Its Decline - https://online.hillsdale.edu/courses/promo/american-citizenship-and-its-decline

NOTE: These free courses come from Hillsdale College, which is conservative. We recommend them for one reason: We have taken them, and they are overflowing with facts. If you know a course that offers similar value, please email us. We will consider it.

_{SOURCES:2025 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey, Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, released September 11, 2025.Conducted for APPC by SSRS.Civics knowledge questions were asked in August 2025 (n=1,684).Supreme Court trust questions were asked in March 2025 (n=1,363).Margin of sampling error ±3.5 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.}

Five claims. Each was reported as fact by a real organization. Before reading on, decide for each one: True or not?

1. A national think tank documented more than 1,400 proven cases of election fraud.

2. A study found 21 million American adults do not have government-issued photo ID.

3. Federal investigators estimated 100,000 fraudulent ballots were cast in one Chicago election.

4. 84% of Americans support requiring photo ID to vote.

5. Ohio’s Secretary of State flagged 521 cases of potential noncitizen voting.

Keep your answers. We’ll come back to them.

Facts Still Matter

Opinions are everywhere and cheap. Facts are the only ground solid enough to build a solution on, which is why we insist on them: Every factual claim we publish traces to an end source - the statute, the court record, the database, the study itself - and we link it so you can check us. That’s non-negotiable.

But here is the uncomfortable part: A claim can include a “fact,” but mislead you. Maybe not because anyone lied - although that happens often - but because of the fact’s origin or how it was presented. Exaggerations, partial facts, one side of the data presented while hiding the other, or a fact stated, but followed by an opinion can all trigger fears that lead to misunderstandings, poor decisions, and stress.

If we care about facts - which the Simple Liberty Movement does - then, we must investigate the details and measure them against a clear standard of truth.

How Data Bends

Surveys bend the most easily.

1. The wording of a question moves the answer: Ask about fraud first and support for ID requirements rises; ask about voters being turned away first and it falls.

2. Who gets asked matters just as much - a survey can oversample groups likely to give the desired answer, and even honest surveys now rely on opt-in online panels, where the people who join differ from the people who don’t.

3. Who answers: Response rates below one in ten are common, and the nine who hang up aren’t random. When is the last time you answered a survey? Busy people, who might be successful and sharp, often don’t bother.

4. People misreport - someone may “lack” a license that’s sitting in a drawer, or claim one that expired years ago.

5. Read the fine print on subgroups: A poll’s advertised margin of error covers the whole sample; the finding about one small group inside it can be wrong by three times as much.

Other kinds of facts bend too, each in its own way.

1. A fraud database counts detected and prosecuted cases - so it understates whatever went uncaught and overstates how typical the caught cases are, at the same time.

2. An audit measures what its matching method can find, not what exists.

3. A court’s finding of fact describes one state’s evidence in one year, not the country today.

4. Academic studies depend on modeling choices, and journals prefer dramatic findings over null ones – more than one famous voting study collapsed when other researchers reran the numbers.

5. A news story reports the charge; it rarely follows up on whether the charge held.

How Much Can It Bend?

Enough to reverse a conclusion. The clearest proof is that both sides of the voter ID debate quote the same database. One side accurately reports it contains over 1,400 proven fraud cases. The other side accurately reports that, across decades and billions of votes, it contains roughly ten cases of the specific fraud a polling-place photo ID would stop.

Both statements are true. Both claims are incomplete, possibly because their intent is to sway your opinion in their direction.

Thus, do not jump to conclusions. Consider how claims can be true, but also what’s missing - to avoid accidentally making assumptions based on your fears, wounds, and bias.

The Answers

All five are true. That was the trick - and the lesson. The right question was never “True or not?” It was: What exactly does this fact prove?

1. Fact Presented: A national think tank documented more than 1,400 proven cases of election fraud.

   Answer: The database exists, and each case ended in a conviction, a legal finding, or an overturned election. It proves fraud happens. It cannot tell you how often, which its authors admit. (link)

2. Fact Presented: A study found 21 million American adults do not have government-issued photo ID.

   Answer: From November 16-19, 2006, the independent Opinion Research Corporation conducted a telephone survey of 987 randomly selected voting-age American citizens. The data was then applied to U.S. population numbers to estimate the 21 million people number - and the data is two decades old. (link)

3. Fact Presented: Federal investigators estimated 100,000 fraudulent ballots were cast in one Chicago election.

   Answer: A federal prosecutor estimated 100,000. The documented number is 63 convictions - the largest voter fraud prosecution in Justice Department history. The estimate and the count are both facts, but they are vastly different facts. (link)

4. Fact Presented: 84% of Americans support requiring photo ID to vote.

   Answer: This one deserves more trust than most survey numbers, because it replicates: Three different polling firms, with different methods and different leanings, found 77% to 84% within months of each other. When independent sources converge, the finding is more trustworthy. (link)

5. Fact Presented: Ohio’s Secretary of State flagged 521 cases of potential noncitizen voting.

   Answer: 521 were flagged. A review found most were clerical errors and paperwork lag; one case resulted in a charge. The 521 made headlines. The follow-up was much quieter. (link)

How to Investigate a Fact

Sometimes you wonder whether a claimed fact is fully true. Here are up to four questions you can ask or research to confirm the full truth. We call this our 4Q Scrolls process:

#1 - Meaning | What does the claim mean? Meaning questions ask or research what the person or group means by their claim.

#2 - Evidence | Why is the claim true? Evidence questions ask or research why they believe their claim is true - and the facts supporting it, or not.

#3 - Impact | Who and what is affected by the claim if it became law? Impact questions consider what happens if the claim becomes reality.

#4 - Solution | How true is the claim - and if a major issue, what is best for the common good of all Americans? Solution questions consider whether the facts confirm the claim is true, or there is a more complete, accurate answer - what’s best for the common good.

Every example above is real, documented, and linked in our evidence files. Facts are where honest debate starts. Considering claims carefully is how it stays honest.

What’s Next?

The Simple Liberty Movement is regular citizens researching major issues - one at a time - and proposing how to solve America’s biggest problems.

We’ve stopped waiting for politicians and bureaucrats to resolve them. So, we will.

Consider our Commoners Corner posts, and The Commons - where we present and discuss the issues.

We hope you join us.

We can do this.

Whether you’re 18 or 80, you can help do the work — research real issues and develop the best solutions for the common good. Or support fellow commoners who have the time to do it. Both matter. You’ll be part of the Simple Liberty team.

What we stand for

We are committed to developing solutions grounded in facts and America’s founding values — the only proven architecture for a free, fair, and flourishing nation. Our traditional values and virtues are not partisan or obsolete. They are how free people stay free.

• Courageous Good Character Wins — Faith · Truth · Integrity

• True Equal Rights for All — Life · Liberty · Covenant

• Humbly Work for the Common Good — Gratitude · Responsibility · Family

Our Game Plan

Find the best way. Do the right thing. Everyone matters.

“For over forty years, I’ve believed America will only get back on track when commoners like you and me get involved. Now is our time, and Simple Liberty is the path.” — David Russell, Founder & CEO

Subscribe to follow the work. Join us at [LINK: Join Us] when you’re ready to do more than read.

We can do this.

Courageous Good Character Wins

Faith · Truth · Integrity

A republic survives only when its people tell the truth, even when it costs them something.

True Equal Rights for All

Life · Liberty · Covenant

The same rights, the same rules, for every American — no exceptions for the powerful.

Humbly Work for the Common Good

Gratitude · Responsibility · Family

Grateful citizens raise responsible families, and that’s how a nation outlasts.

1. Issue

Start with a problem category. Narrow it by topic. Choose a specific claim.

2. 4Q Scrolls

What does the claim mean? Why is it true — or not? Who is affected by it? What's best for the common good?

3. Refine

Discuss the draft solution. Consider new facts. Finalize the solution.

4. Share

Members share solutions. We promote solutions. We discuss solutions with influencers.

Simple Liberty is a movement of commoners preparing for the moment that will decide America’s future — before the Elites decide it for us.

Overcoming government and media corruption with truth.

Get in on the ground floor of a movement four decades in the making. Whether you’re 18 or 80, you can get involved and help do the work — research real issues and develop the best solutions for the common good.

Or support fellow commoners who have the time to do it. Both matter. Both move our country forward. And you will not be doing it alone. You’ll be part of the Simple Liberty team.

Our Game Plan

Find the best way. Do the right thing. Everyone matters.

If this sounds obvious to you, then you’re already one of us.

We can do this. America is an amazing country with good people. Let’s restore it before it’s too late.