March 9th

During last night’s meeting, the Pirate National Committee voted unanimously to endorse #ProjectNoCap.

#ProjectNoCap, a project spearheaded by Mr. Beat, aims to uncap the United States House of Representatives, which is currently capped at 435.

Instead of growing with the population as the House of Representatives was meant to, it was capped off and led to what we now have: a bloated system filled with career politicians who don’t respond to your emails or take you seriously.

The branch that was supposed to be most representative of the people in a district is currently not successful in that venture.

The goal is this: uncapping the house would lead to smaller districts (far less than the >700k residents per they currently work with), and thus more intimate representation.

As well, signature requirements, which are currently set to be near impossible for independents and non-DNC/GOP parties, would be drastically reduced and thus, in theory, far more achievable.

Importantly, more districts mean big money politics should be spread far thinner. No more will there be endless funds directed for or major party candidates; in theory, it should spread it so far thin that it should effectively help to remove big money from politics.

All credit goes to Mr. Beat for this project. Since New Year’s Day 2026, Mr. Beat has been emailing his representative, Tracey Mann, in an attempt to get him to introduce or support legislation, or at the very least, explain his opposition to such legislation.

Thus far, as has been the experience of many citizens in our capped-house reality, Mr. Beat hasn’t gotten a straight answer outside of a generic email, not actually answering the question.

In our never ending question to working towards opening up the government, putting individuals before institutions and getting money out of politics, we endorse this project as one that helps to work towards achieving all three.

Mr. Beat posted his email format for an easier copy-paste email. We will copy that below. If you wish to send an email to your representative about uncapping the house (and we encourage that you do), you may use the email below.

Thank you to Mr. Beat for this project, and putting this idea into the public consciousness. This is one, I believe, will make a major difference.

Whether that is in its successes, or in watching how our politicians neglect or ignore the idea, this project will produce meaningful outcomes.

Find your representative here.

Email:

Dear [REPRESENTATIVE NAME],

I am writing as a constituent to urge you to consider supporting legislation to expand, or “uncap,” the U.S. House of Representatives by increasing the number of members.

The House was designed to be the people’s chamber, yet today each Representative serves far more constituents than the Founders ever intended. When the House was capped at 435 members in 1913, the U.S. population was about 92 million.

Today it is more than 330 million. As a result, each Representative now speaks for roughly three to four times as many people as their early 20th-century counterparts.

This has made genuine representation more difficult, distanced citizens from their elected officials, and weakened public trust in Congress.

Uncapping the House would directly address this problem.

Smaller districts would allow Representatives to better know their constituents, conduct more meaningful oversight, and more effectively advocate for local concerns.

It would also reduce the disproportionate influence of money in politics by lowering the cost of campaigning and making grassroots engagement more viable.

Importantly, expanding the House is not a radical idea.

It aligns with the original intent of the Constitution, which anticipated periodic growth in the size of the House as the nation expanded.

In fact, the very first proposed constitutional amendment, promoted by George Washington himself and passed by Congress in 1789 but never ratified, would have established a formula for continual House expansion tied to population growth.

Finally, increasing the number of Representatives would make the Electoral College more representative and help rebalance power away from the executive branch by strengthening Congress as a deliberative body.

At a time when Americans across the political spectrum feel unheard and disconnected from Washington, expanding the House offers a practical, constitutional, and bipartisan reform to bring government closer to the people it serves.

Thank you for your time and for your service to [YOUR STATE]. I hope you will give this issue serious consideration.

Respectfully,

[YOUR NAME]

uspirates.org/endorsed-project…

ICYMI

Arizona – Signature collection was a major topic of discussion during last night’s meeting, and no sleep part of that was last week’s efforts in Arizona. In the days following their first rally, Blase was joined by leadership to assist in collecting signatures.
AZ Capt. Blase Henry and USPP Capt. Jolly Mitch
Pennsylvania – As announced last week, candidate Drew Bingaman suspended his campaign. The big piece of advice from last night’s meeting: take signature collecting seriously. As a candidate, make sure that is one of your top priorities.

Pirate National Convention – On June 6th, the United States Pirate Party will be celebrating 20 years at the 2026 Pirate National Convention in Boston, MA. Those interested in attending in-person should seek to make accommodations as soon as possible, as not only are rooms in the area filling up fast, but the time is quickly approaching. Those that cannot attend in-person are invited to join us via Jitsi, as is available every year. This year’s conference theme will be picked out in two weeks time.

#ProjectNoCap – During last night’s meeting, the board endorsed Mr. Beat’s #ProjectNoCap, which seeks to uncap the House of Representatives and encourages voters to write their Representatives to introduce or support legislation that uncaps the House of Representatives. Presently, Representatives represent >700k residents in every district. This project seeks to not only uncap the house, but serves as an important step in our never ending goals of opening up the government. A more detailed post will come later today regarding #ProjectNoCap.

Through the Spyglass – a new entry in the Through the Spyglass series, Until Everybody’s Free, released on International Women’s Day, looks at Fannie Lou Hamer and her extraordinary fight, as well as the institutions that put her down. In her honor, we remember the woman Dr. King called an “army of love.”

Check out last night’s meeting (which started 30 minutes late, sorry about that, live viewers!)

uspirates.org/icymi-updates-fr…

ICYMI

Arizona – the Arizona Pirate Party hosted their first in-person rally yesterday at the Marana Aquatic and Recreation Center. Blase and new AZPP Young Pirates Rep Jane both gave speeches. You can look back at last night’s rally here.

Committees – IT committee met last Wednesday and discussed a move from or a bridge connecting to Discord, with the end goal to ultimately move away from Discord entirely. Work projects for new designs, merchandise and other Pirate related visual elements have been sent down to both Outreach and Press Committee as action items.

Massachusetts – the Massachusetts Pirate Party has been at work electing a new Pirate Council. Ballots were sent out on February 13th and were due back on the 27th.

Nevada – As of today (3/2), Hunter Rand has formally filed for his candidacy. Just out the Facebook post announcing it here.

#ProjectNoCap – Per Captain’s request, the next meeting the Pirate National Committee holds (on 3/8) will feature a discussion on formally endorsing Mr. Beat’s #ProjectNoCap. While not formally adopting to our platform (at least, not currently being considered at present moment), #ProjectNoCap would fall under the “Opening Up the Government” aspect of our platform. Come 3/9, the Pirate Party should have an idea of how committed we will be towards the project moving forward.

Volunteers – As if our search for volunteers is ever over. We’re seeking Pirates from all 50 states and six territories, but especially those from Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and West Virginia. If you don’t see your state, don’t think we don’t want or need you, too. In fact, not seeing your state might be even more reason to get involved. After all, Michigan and Colorado are newer additions, meaning folks come aboard all the time. See what sticks, see if this is right for you (it is).

uspirates.org/icymi-updates-fr…