Hunter Rand, a member of the United States Pirate Party running for the Ward 2 seat on the Sparks City Council in Nevada, is within striking distance of advancing to the November general election as primary results continued to be counted Wednesday afternoon.
Nevada held its state primary Tuesday, with unofficial tallies in Sparks showing Jamie O’Connell, incumbent Dian VanderWell, and Rand separated by 43 votes in the nonpartisan municipal contest. O’Connell led the four-candidate field with 608 votes, or 30.6 percent, followed by VanderWell with 597 votes and Rand with 565. Anthony J. “Tony” Goulet trailed with 217 votes.
Rand would need to overtake VanderWell and move into the top two to advance to the November general election. He told the Pirate Party over Discord earlier Wednesday that he had been informed roughly 300 cast ballots remained outstanding as of that morning, leaving open the possibility that the field could still shift before results are finalized.
The U.S. Pirate Party endorsed Rand in November, with the party’s national committee voting unanimously to back his campaign. Rand, whom the party has identified as a member, also previously appeared as a guest speaker during the party’s 2022 national conference. He was later endorsed by the United States Transhumanist Party through that organization’s coalition with the Pirates.
Nevada election law does not provide for an automatic recount in the race. However, any defeated candidate may request one within three working days after the official canvass and certification of the vote, provided the candidate files the request in writing and deposits the estimated cost of the recount ahead of time.
If Rand moves into the top two and is ultimately able to win the seat later this year, he would become one of the U.S. Pirate Party’s only known elected officeholders. Steve Revilak, a Pirate Party member in Massachusetts, was elected to Arlington Town Meeting in 2015, with local media covering his win referring to him as the organization’s first. Rand would also be the first Pirate Party member Independent Political Report is aware of to win elected office in Nevada.
Editorial note: This article was originally published on IPR’s Substack on June 10. Results are subject to change, and this post will be updated as additional details become available.
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