The pages of today’s newspapers are splashed with debates between Republican presidential candidates reallocating responsibility for our country’s problems. Blaming can be cathartic, but pointing fingers at certain politicians or further vilifying rating agencies will not prove productive in reviving the American economy and reestablishing American eminence. So perhaps it is time that we citizens take responsibility for how we got here, and understand that both our country’s problems and its potential are in our hands — especially the hands of us young people.

The problem today is that party politics have come to dominate our government and have led to political deadlock and policy stagnation. Our political system and media have morphed over the years to become more brand-centric than quality concerned. We only have ourselves to thank. Politicians who play to their bases and refuse to compromise are often rewarded with reelection. Media outlets that serve up partisan rhetoric rather than reasoned discussion see their ratings grow.

If those do not reflect your preferences, that’s no surprise — politics and media have found a way to circumvent the vast majority of the population to find their power and influence these days. Closed primaries, partisan gerrymandering and hyper-targeted campaigns give a disproportionate say to the far left and far right in elections.

In addition, a large part of the media has rebuilt its business model on narrowcasting to niche ideological audiences, providing a megaphone to the extremes on both sides.

But, at the very least, we all let our system get this way. So it’s about time we, the often disenfranchised and silent majority, do something to fix it. How do we do this when it feels like our system is entrenched and we are more subjects than citizens? How do we regain our power to act? One group of Americans (not politically aligned, I might add) is pioneering this opportunity using today’s technology as its mechanism. The revolution is called Americans Elect.

In the technology world of Google, Facebook and Silicon Valley the buzzword is “disruption.” To the techies it means substantially changing the marketplace in a way that not only out-dates current products on the market, but also establishes a new, more efficient and technologically advanced way of processing the demand for a product.

The goal is to evolve the fundamentals of the market to create new value and enable a higher-level of competition between the products available.

Americans Elect brings this kind of needed disruption and competition to our political process. The innovation takes form on the Internet where an online convention will be held next June to empower the people to choose a third ticket for president and vice-president. It is an innovation that will disrupt the stalemate of our political duopoly. With this new pathway to political voice, American politics stands a chance of rebounding from the stagnation that plagues our system to a political process that is more responsive and market driven (in terms of citizens), much akin to some of our favorite and most effective American businesses.

AmericansElect.org allows individuals to collate personal interests and find a candidate who shares similar values, without regard for political orientation. It also provides an opportunity for individuals to ask questions directly to the candidates on the most important issues, without any partisan media filters. The ticket that emerges from this process will be on the ballot in all 50 states come next November.

This unprecedented opportunity comes at an unprecedented time when America looks out at a future of decline and destabilization — of a changing international world — where citizens are frightened by what lies ahead and furious at their government. This is the opportunity for us citizens to take charge again, to finally have our voices heard. This is the opportunity for college campuses across the country to look toward Washington and say, “enough” — by enlisting every student as a delegate. This is an opportunity for politics to meet the future, to assimilate the resources and society of free ideas furnished by the Internet, and to produce leadership that stands for us.

Felicity Yost is senior in the College of Arts and Sciences and a Founding Campus Leader of Americans Elect at Cornell University. She may be reached at fmy5@cornell.edu. Guest Room appears periodically this semester.