The Maryland Pirate Party has rejoined the Pirate National Committee as a voting member, reviving a state affiliate with roots in the United States Pirate Party’s earlier years of national organizing.
The United States Pirate Party announced this week that the Maryland Pirate Party was approved during the Pirate National Committee’s May 3 meeting, becoming the committee’s tenth voting member state. The national party said Maryland had previously been a voting member earlier in the Pirate Party’s history and remained involved as late as 2013 before becoming inactive.
The party called Maryland’s return both a continuation and a fresh start, noting that figures involved with the earlier Maryland organization helped restore the affiliate. The Maryland Pirate Party was first organized in 2012 and later became part of a regional organizing effort through the DMV Pirate Party, which at one point represented Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. However, the DMV affiliate was not separately recognized as a voting member of the Pirate National Committee.
To join the national committee, the Maryland Pirate Party needed to meet several internal organizing requirements, including having two observer members willing to attend Pirate National Committee meetings, maintaining an online presence, actively organizing in the state, and receiving sponsorship from an existing committee member. Wanda Ward of the Florida Pirate Party sponsored Maryland’s application, which was approved unanimously.
Maryland joins Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Texas, Florida, Arizona, Ohio, Indiana, and California among the Pirate National Committee’s voting member states, though the United States Pirate Party has recently identified California as being on probationary status.
If the Maryland Pirate Party wants to pursue recognized political party status in the state, under state law it must submit a petition to the Maryland State Board of Elections with at least 10,000 valid signatures from registered Maryland voters. It must also submit certain required information, including its statement of intent, interim constitution and bylaws, and the names and addresses of 25 registered voters forming its initial governing body, including a state chair.
Once recognized, it can nominate candidates under its bylaws, but must generally maintain recognition by receiving at least 1% of the vote for its top statewide nominee or by having at least 1% of registered Maryland voters affiliated with the party.
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