With a government as dysfunctional and polarized as ours, the question is often asked: “Why are there not more independent lawmakers in office?”

Pundits will often offer the answer that it is because A) most Americans have a partisan slant, and B) independent candidates would not have the support or resources to win.

But it is starting to look like those responses are no longer true:

A). Recent polling shows that a majority of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of both parties, no doubt a result of a bitter and divisive Presidential election.

B). In only a few weeks, the Centrist Project’s #HackTheSenate campaign met its goal of recruiting 10,000 voters to pledge their support to a slate of independent candidates, should they step forward for the 2018 election.

The purpose of the campaign was to demonstrate to potential independent U.S Senate candidates that they would have the backing of voters, activists, and donors across the country were they to run.

READ MORE: Independents Are Ready to #HackTheSenate

The Centrist Project aims to help elect these independent candidates so that they can band together, deny both parties a majority in the U.S. Senate, and restore common sense to government –– essentially a “hack” to the two-party system.

Our country is clearly ready for a change and The Centrist Project’s “hack” can be what makes that change happen.

Editor's note: This update, written by Dane Sherrets, originally published on the Centrist Project's blog on May 10, 2017. To learn more about the Centrist Project, visit the organization's site here. You can also follow the group on Facebook or Twitter.