United States Pirate Party

The Pirate Party was founded in June 2006 by University of Georgia graduate student Brent Allison in response to the success of the Swedish Pirate Party. Its platform was focused primarily on copyright reform and freedom from Internet censorship. The party first attempted to register in Utah during the 2007/2008 election cycle and failed to collect the required number of Statements of Support. In 2011, the Massachusetts Pirate Party became the first legally recognized Pirate Party in the US. By 2011, the Pirate Party reported over 3,000 members nationwide. In 2012, a coalition of state Pirate parties formed the Pirate National Committee (PNC). By July of that year, the PNC drafted and adopted a new constitution, which outlined a broader ideology inspired by Rick Falkvinge's Pirate Wheel. On 1 February 2026, the party voted unanimously to officially leave Pirate Parties International (PPI), citing its stance on the Gaza genocide and the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, which it views as inconsistent with Pirates' universal promotion of the right to self-determination, as well as perceived incompatibilities in the affiliations and prior work of a senior PPI officer with Pirate principles. In their statements concerning their resignation and distancing from the PPI, they are also specifically and particularly critical of the Pirate Party Germany on this matter. ==Elections==

In 2015, Massachusetts Pirate Party Quartermaster Steve Revilak became the first pirate in the United States to be elected to office, elected to Arlington town meeting. On July 2, 2022, the United States Pirate Party became a member of the Pirate Parties International, an umbrella organization, comprising 31 parties all over the world at the time of the USPP's admission. They left officially on February 1, 2026. This is the largest number of votes for a Pirate candidate in US history as of 2022. Party members voted to endorse the 2024 Vermin Supreme presidential campaign during their national convention in Bensenville, Illinois, which took place from June 1 to June 2. ==Name==

The Pirate Party defends their oft-criticized name in the preamble of the PNC's constitution: ==Ideology==

of the United States Pirate Party at a pride parade showing support for Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning Factions within the Pirate Party include left-libertarians, classical liberals, anarchists, progressives, and radical centrists. Many Pirates explicitly decline to identify with any particular political ideology or philosophy. These more ideologically unaffiliated members of the party have expressed their concerns to instead "do what works" rather than be driven by a particular ideology. The Pirate Party's platform originally centered on issues of copyright. "Like its international counterparts, the USPP's main practical concerns are digital intellectual property and privacy laws—specifically, the abolition of a 1998 digital U.S. copyright law, the reduction of copyrights to 14 years (from 95 years after publication, or 70 years after the author's death), and the expiration of patents that don't result in significant progress within four years (as opposed to 20 years)." == PNC ==

Captain Before 2012, the chairman of the party was elected every July by a membership vote, as established in the party constitution. After the 2012 formation of the PNC, the role's name was changed to captain. As of July 5th, 2025, there is also a Captain for the youth wing, Young Pirates USA (YPUSA). Officers • Chair – Mitch Davilo • Vice Chair – Ty Clifford • Treasurer – Darren Mckeeman • Secretary – Blase Henry • State Moderator - Wanda Ward • Auditor – Eli McGee • Swarmcare Manager – Dustin Etts • Director of the Online - Vacant • Director of Public Relations - Vacant • Co-Captains of Young Pirates USA - Jack Leisey and Lily Boyt ==State parties==