The United States Pirate Party named a new national leadership team over the weekend, following final reported vote tabulations from its 2025 Pirate National Conference. The party met in California last week for a hybrid convention.
The annual conference took place July 4 and was physically held in San Francisco, though there was a livestreaming component for members who weren’t able to attend. Birgitta Jónsdóttir of the Pirate Party of Iceland and Sean Tobin, a scientist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, presented as keynote speakers. A recording of the event has been made available on the party’s YouTube channel.
Under Pirate National Committee bylaws, the U.S. Pirate Party also held its annual officer elections, using a “silent ballot” along with the Schulze Method to calculate results. Any U.S. resident who registered in advance of the conference with their name and contact information was considered eligible to vote.
The results shared Sunday show Jolly Mitch Davilo was elected to serve as the party’s next captain, a position functionally equivalent to national chair. Davilo defeated incumbent Capt. Drew Bingaman and will lead the organization through the 2026 conference.
In a statement included with the announcement, Davilo thanked members for their support and expressed optimism for the party’s future. “I’m honored to be trusted with the keys to the ship,” he wrote. “Thank you everyone for the vote of confidence. May the next year and coming years of the United States Pirate Party be fruitful.”
Joining Davilo on the new board are incumbent Vice Captain Ty Clifford, incumbent Quartermaster Darren McKeeman, Blase Henry as Scribe, Wanda Ward as Lookout, Eli McGee as Beancounter, Dustin Etts as Swarmcare Coordinator, Morgan Landry as Director of the On-line, and Ryan Codine as Director of Public Relations.
Context on title terminology produced by the party defines the vice captain role, also called first officer, as the equivalent of a vice chair, with the quartermaster serving as treasurer and the scribe as secretary. The lookout is tasked with moderating and managing relations among state affiliates, and the beancounter acts as an auditor to ensure proper use of national party funds disbursed to state affiliates.
The party’s swarmcare coordinator is responsible for welcoming and supporting new volunteers, while the director of the on-line, sometimes just called webadmin, oversees digital infrastructure and web presence. Lastly, the director of public relations leads social media communications and outreach efforts.
In addition to selecting national positions, the party also held its first election for captain of the newly formed Young Pirates USA, a youth-focused chapter aimed at engaging younger and college-aged supporters. Rowan Tipping was elected to the position following a three-way race.
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