Transhumanist Party
The United States Transhumanist Party (USTP) is a political organization founded on October 7, 2014, that seeks to integrate transhumanist principles into American governance by advocating policies centered on scientific and technological advancement to achieve indefinite human life extension, morphological freedom, and the reduction of existential risks through rational, evidence-based decision-making.[1] Originally established by Zoltan Istvan as a nonprofit to promote transhumanist politics, the party gained initial visibility through Istvan's unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign, after which leadership transitioned to Gennady Stolyarov II, the current chairman.[1][2] The USTP has since consolidated through mergers, including with the splinter Transhuman Party in 2019 and the United States Longevity Party in 2020, adopting a constitution ratified by members that enshrines immutable core ideals of fostering a society guided by reason and science.[1] The party's platform, developed and amended via crowdsourced member votes, spans 125 sections addressing issues such as allocating $100 billion annually for anti-aging research, implementing universal basic income through federal land revenue, protecting privacy in emerging technologies, and reforming immigration to attract skilled innovators.[1] With over 4,600 members and free open enrollment, the USTP conducts regular platform votes, endorses candidates aligned with its vision—such as Tom Ross for president in 2024—and hosts weekly educational salons, though it has not achieved significant electoral victories and has faced internal divisions reflected in past schisms.[2][1]History
Founding and Zoltan Istvan's 2016 Campaign
The Transhumanist Party was founded on October 7, 2014, by Zoltan Istvan, a transhumanist author, entrepreneur, and former journalist, as a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing political advocacy for radical human enhancement through science and technology.[3] Istvan, who had gained prominence with his 2013 novel The Transhumanist Wager—a philosophical thriller portraying a militant push for technological immortality—established the party to channel transhumanist ideas into electoral politics, emphasizing policies aimed at conquering death via biomedical research, artificial intelligence, and cybernetic augmentation.[4] The founding occurred amid growing public interest in futurism, following Istvan's own high-profile exploits, such as his 2003 solo sailing journey around the world aboard a custom boat named Vagabond, which underscored his commitment to bold, boundary-pushing endeavors.[5] Istvan announced his candidacy for President of the United States in October 2015, positioning himself as the Transhumanist Party's nominee for the 2016 election with a platform centered on allocating substantial federal resources—up to 150% of the U.S. defense budget—to life-extension research and human augmentation technologies.[6] Key proposals included enacting a "Transhumanist Bill of Rights" to enshrine morphological freedom (the right to modify one's body via technology), mandating AI-driven governance to optimize policy outcomes, and prioritizing scientific progress over traditional social welfare programs, arguing that overcoming biological mortality would resolve many societal ills through exponential technological growth.[7] Istvan's campaign rhetoric framed death as a solvable engineering problem, predicting that within decades, advancements in nanotechnology and genetic editing could enable indefinite lifespans, a view he supported by citing accelerating trends in biotechnology rather than unsubstantiated optimism.[8] To promote his message, Istvan embarked on a symbolic nationwide tour in early 2016 aboard the "Immortality Bus," a modified vehicle resembling a 40-foot coffin fitted with LED screens displaying slogans like "Death Is Optional – Zoltan for President," which traveled from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., stopping at universities and tech hubs to rally support for transhumanist priorities.[5] The campaign collected thousands of petition signatures in pursuit of ballot access across multiple states, but faced regulatory hurdles and resource constraints, ultimately qualifying only for write-in status in most jurisdictions without securing a spot on general election ballots in any state.[7] Istvan received approximately 1,000 write-in votes nationwide, a negligible share of the total electorate, though the effort amplified transhumanist visibility through coverage in outlets like The New Yorker and USA Today, sparking debates on the feasibility of integrating radical technological agendas into mainstream politics.[6] The campaign's focus on empirical drivers of progress, such as Moore's Law analogs in biotech, distinguished it from speculative futurism, yet critics noted its marginal electoral impact highlighted the challenges of translating niche philosophical movements into viable political entities.[7]Formal Establishment Under Gennady Stolyarov II (2017–2019)
Following the conclusion of Zoltan Istvan's 2016 presidential campaign, Gennady Stolyarov II assumed the role of Chairman of the U.S. Transhumanist Party on November 17, 2016, marking a shift toward formalized internal governance and member-driven policy development.[9] Under Stolyarov's leadership, the party initiated a series of open votes to establish its core platform, beginning with Sections I through V adopted via member ballot from January 15 to 21, 2017.[1] Subsequent votes expanded the platform, including Sections VI through X from February 16 to 22, 2017; Sections XI and XII from March 26 to April 1, 2017; Sections XXXIII and XXXIV from May 7 to 13, 2017; and Sections XLVII through LII from June 18 to 24, 2017.[1] These efforts culminated in the ratification of 82 specific planks by late 2017, emphasizing advancements in science, technology, longevity, and rational governance.[1] The party's organizational structure was further solidified in 2017 through global free membership recruitment, which by year's end supported outreach via online applications and public presentations, such as Stolyarov's address on achievements at the Transvision 2017 conference on November 9, 2017.[10] Membership expanded steadily, reaching a milestone of 1,000 verified members on July 7, 2018, reflecting growing interest in transhumanist principles amid decentralized voting mechanisms that allowed input from U.S. and allied members worldwide.[11] Stolyarov emphasized non-partisan, evidence-based policy formation, avoiding alignment with traditional political divides while prioritizing technological progress and individual liberty. By 2019, the party pursued consolidation through a merger with the Transhuman Party—originally founded in October 2017—completed between December 30, 2018, and January 26, 2019, integrating additional members and resources to streamline operations.[1] This period under Stolyarov also saw refinements to foundational documents, including updates to the Transhumanist Bill of Rights, with Version 3.0 incorporating member-voted amendments to address emerging issues in human enhancement and existential risks.[12] These developments positioned the party as a structured advocate for transhumanist ideals, distinct from its earlier campaign-oriented phase, with Stolyarov maintaining leadership to foster ongoing platform evolution through transparent, consensus-based processes.[1]Expansion and Internal Developments (2020–2023)
In January 2020, the U.S. Transhumanist Party adopted a new constitution via a member vote conducted from January 18 to 25, which took effect on February 1, 2020, and incorporated the merger with the United States Longevity Party, thereby expanding the party's scope to emphasize longevity advocacy alongside transhumanist principles.[1] This structural update formalized governance processes, including officer qualifications requiring prior experience in the transhumanist movement or reliable service, and enabled the creation of new officer positions to fill vacancies with two-thirds approval from existing officers.[1] On June 11, 2020, the party announced a major internal reorganization to enhance operational efficiency, leverage specialized skills, and maintain organizational cohesion amid external challenges, including the appointment of Arin Vahanian as Vice-Chairman, Charlie Kam as Director of Marketing (alongside his endorsement as the party's 2020 presidential candidate), and new directors such as Tom Ross for Sentient Rights Advocacy, John J. Kerecz for Energy Issues, and Art Ramon Garcia, Jr., for Visual Art.[13] The reorganization also established a six-person social-media team comprising Vahanian, Brent Reitze, Ross, Dan Elton, David Shumaker, and Daniel Yeluashvili to amplify outreach, and added foreign ambassadors in Argentina and Bolivia to extend international influence.[13] These changes aimed to align internal operations with the party's platform on technological progress and existential risk reduction while supporting the Charlie Kam-Liz Parrish ticket, selected as vice-presidential nominee on August 22, 2020.[14] Membership expanded steadily, reaching over 4,000 by 2022 through free, accessible online applications, reflecting growing interest in transhumanist policies amid broader public engagement with science and technology during the COVID-19 era, though growth remained below the party's aspirational targets.[15] In December 2020, members approved constitutional amendments effective January 1, 2021, refining officer accountability, succession protocols via random selection if needed, and criteria for candidate endorsements, further stabilizing internal governance.[1] By 2022, the party re-formed the New York Transhumanist Party affiliate with Daud Sheikh as chairman and Luis Arroyo as vice-chairman, appointing Dinorah Delfin as a regional liaison to foster localized advocacy, and launched the non-political Transhuman Club in July as an affiliate to broaden non-electoral engagement with transhumanist ideas.[15] Expansion efforts included plans for additional regional liaisons, modeled on successes in New York and Northern California, to decentralize operations and increase grassroots presence.[15] The party also endorsed Daniel E. Twedt for Thousand Oaks City Council, securing 1,183 votes (0.9% of the total), marking an early electoral foothold and data point for future campaigns.[15] In early 2023, internal developments continued with the appointment of Art Ramon Garcia, Jr., as temporary Vice-Chairman from March to June, supporting visual art initiatives and state-level coordination, including Arizona affiliate activities.[16] These steps, alongside ongoing virtual salons and platform refinements, positioned the party for its 2023 electronic primary process to select 2024 candidates, emphasizing merit-based endorsements aligned with core values of morphological freedom and scientific progress.[15]2024 Presidential Campaign and Recent Electoral Efforts
The U.S. Transhumanist Party pursued a write-in presidential campaign in the 2024 United States election, nominating Tom Ross for president and Daniel Twedt for vice president.[17] Ross, serving as Director of Sentient Rights Advocacy within the party, emphasized ethical treatment of emerging intelligences and transhumanist policy integration, while Twedt focused on technological innovation and advocacy.[18] Lacking ballot access in any state, the campaign relied on member outreach, livestream discussions, and video compilations to encourage write-in votes across 44 states and the District of Columbia.[19][20] Campaign activities included weekly livestreams hosted by Chairman Gennady Stolyarov II, starting in October 2024, which addressed transhumanist platforms, voter instructions for write-ins, and AI analyses of party principles.[21] The party endorsed specific ballot measures, such as Nevada's Question 3 for top-five ranked-choice voting, to advance electoral reforms aligned with its goals of technological governance.[22] Following the November 5, 2024, election, the party issued a statement acknowledging Donald Trump's victory and affirming support for a peaceful power transfer, while reporting preliminary member-verified write-in totals as a lower bound on support, though official nationwide figures remained limited due to the write-in format.[23][24] In early 2025, the party shifted toward coalition-building, announcing on September 4, 2025, a partnership with the U.S. Pirate Party under the "All Innovation Party" banner to amplify advocacy for science-driven policies and reduce barriers to alternative political participation.[25] This effort aimed at future elections, including potential 2025-2028 collaborations on state-level initiatives, without reported candidacies in immediate post-2024 contests. Ongoing internal votes and discussions focused on platform refinements rather than new ballot runs, reflecting resource constraints typical of minor parties.[26][27]Ideology and Core Principles
Transhumanist Foundations
The U.S. Transhumanist Party draws its foundational philosophy from transhumanism, a movement that promotes the ethical use of science, technology, and rational inquiry to enhance human capabilities, extend healthy lifespans, and mitigate existential threats to humanity. This approach rejects static biological determinism, viewing human limitations—such as aging, disease, and cognitive constraints—as solvable engineering challenges rather than inevitable fates. The party's commitment to transhumanism emphasizes empirical progress over ideological dogma, prioritizing advancements in fields like biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology to foster individual flourishing and societal resilience.[1] Central to the party's transhumanist foundations are its three core ideals, which guide policy and advocacy. The first ideal supports significant life extension through accelerated scientific and technological progress, including substantial public funding—such as $100 billion annually—for research to reverse biological aging and cure age-related diseases. The second ideal advocates for a cultural, societal, and political environment animated by reason, science, and secular values, explicitly rejecting unverified assertions, logical fallacies, and unsubstantiated claims in favor of evidence-based decision-making. The third ideal promotes the application of science, technology, and rational discourse to reduce and eliminate existential risks, such as pandemics, asteroid impacts, or uncontrolled artificial superintelligence, through proactive measures like international collaboration and risk-assessment frameworks.[28][1] Morphological freedom forms another pillar, asserting individuals' rights to modify their bodies, minds, and reproductive processes using safe, consensual technologies, provided no harm is inflicted on others. This principle, enshrined in the party's platform, extends to support for reversible cryopreservation research ($10 billion annually proposed) and the classification of involuntary aging as a treatable disease. The Transhumanist Bill of Rights, Version 3.0, reinforces these foundations by affirming sentient entities' rights to indefinite lifespans, technological enhancements, and freedom from coercive barriers to personal expansion, such as sensory or cognitive upgrades. These elements collectively position transhumanism not as speculative futurism but as a pragmatic extension of Enlightenment rationalism, aligned with influences like Max More's Extropian Principles, which stress perpetual progress, self-directed evolution, and intelligent technology deployment.[12][1][29]Key Philosophical Influences and Debates
The U.S. Transhumanist Party's philosophy extends Enlightenment-era commitments to reason, empirical progress, and human improvement through science, as articulated by figures like Francis Bacon, who in 1605 advocated for extending human lifespan via methodical inquiry, and the Marquis de Condorcet, who in 1794 envisioned indefinite advancements in human capabilities.[30] These foundations converge in Julian Huxley's 1951 coinage of "transhumanism," which posits humanity's ethical obligation to transcend biological limitations using technology, influencing the party's core ideal of achieving significant life extension.[30] Max More's 1990 Principles of Extropy further shaped this outlook, emphasizing perpetual technological progress, self-directed evolution, and morphological freedom—the right to alter one's body and mind—which underpin the party's advocacy for individual sovereignty in enhancements, provided they do not harm others.[30][1] Democratic transhumanism, advanced by James Hughes in works like his 2004 book Citizen Cyborg, informs the party's blend of technological optimism with policies for equitable access, such as universal healthcare and research funding to mitigate enhancement-driven inequalities.[31] The party's constitution explicitly prioritizes a societal atmosphere animated by reason, science, and secular values, rejecting logical fallacies and unverified claims in favor of evidence-based discourse to address existential risks like pandemics or uncontrolled AI.[1] This reflects broader transhumanist heritage from thinkers like J.B.S. Haldane, whose 1923 essay Daedalus explored genetic and cybernetic futures, and Nikolai Fyodorov’s 19th-century Russian cosmism, which called for resurrecting ancestors through science—ideas echoed in the party's support for reversing aging and cryopreservation research.[30][32] Debates within transhumanist circles, relevant to the party's platform, center on balancing unbounded optimism with risk mitigation; for instance, while the party endorses AI for creative problem-solving, it insists on safeguards against biases and existential threats, countering accelerationist views that prioritize rapid deployment over caution.[28] Critics, including some philosophers, argue transhumanism exhibits hubris akin to "playing God" by engineering human nature, but proponents like party affiliates maintain it aligns with causal realism—technology's historical extension of lifespans and capabilities justifies further pursuit to alleviate suffering, not divine imitation.[33] Internal party discussions, such as those during candidate debates, grapple with politicization's efficacy, with some transhumanists questioning whether formal parties dilute philosophical purity in favor of pragmatic policy advocacy.[34][35] Another contention involves morphological freedom's scope: the party upholds voluntary enhancements but debates regulatory thresholds to prevent societal harms, like inequality from unequal access, advocating reforms such as $100 billion annual anti-aging funding to democratize benefits.[1] These tensions highlight transhumanism's empirical grounding—progress via testable technologies—against speculative ethical concerns, with the party favoring rational, data-driven resolutions over ideological priors.[28]Platform and Policy Positions
Morphological Freedom and Human Enhancement
The U.S. Transhumanist Party upholds morphological freedom as a fundamental principle, defined as the right of individuals to alter their physical form or cognitive capacities through technological means, provided such modifications do not directly harm others.[36] This stance is codified in Section VI of the party's platform, which explicitly supports genetic manipulation, cybernetic implants, reproductive technologies, and advance directives for procedures like cryopreservation in cases of unconsciousness or legal death.[36] Morphological freedom also imposes a reciprocal duty to respect sapient individuals as unique entities, rejecting categorization into arbitrary demographic groups and prohibiting socio-economic or legal penalties for those who opt against self-modification.[1] Complementing this, the party's Transhumanist Bill of Rights, Version 3.0, reinforces morphological freedom in Article X, extending it to sentient entities' prerogatives over cybernetic organs, bio-mechatronic components, genetic edits, and intelligence enhancements, with safeguards against involuntary harm.[12] Article VIII of the Bill further affirms entitlements to create such enhancements for lifespan extension and life-form improvement, contingent on informed consent for experimental applications.[12] These provisions align with broader platform commitments in Section VIII to maximize scientific liberty for augmenting human physiology and neurology, including disease eradication and lifespan prolongation, while ensuring public access to verified innovations free from fraud.[36] Human enhancement policies emphasize accelerating technological interventions to transcend biological limits. Section IX advocates deploying biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics, and targeted genetic modifications to elevate human capabilities, encompassing both therapeutic and elective upgrades.[36] The party supports eradicating all disabilities via science in Section XVIII and grants legal autonomy for enhancements like genetic therapies or technological augmentations to individuals aged 18 and older, absent risks to public health.[36] To expedite progress, Section LXXIX calls for repealing U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval mandates for unapproved treatments, including gene therapies, enabling terminally ill or enhancement-seeking patients to access them under informed consent, potentially advancing life-extension breakthroughs by over a decade.[36] Dedicated funding mechanisms underscore the priority of enhancement research. Section CIV proposes a permanent annual allocation of $100 billion for anti-aging initiatives aimed at reversing biological senescence, identified as a primary driver of mortality and disability.[36] Section CXXI similarly endorses $10 billion yearly for developing reversible cryopreservation, preserving viable patients until curative technologies emerge.[36] Additional planks include a "Transhumanist Olympics" under Section XXXIX, where bodily augmentations would not bar competition, promoting normalized integration of enhancements in society.[36] These positions collectively prioritize empirical advancement over regulatory caution, grounded in the view that unrestricted access to enhancement fosters individual and collective progress without coercive impositions.[36]Scientific Progress and Longevity Research
The U.S. Transhumanist Party advocates for substantial increases in public funding to accelerate scientific research across disciplines, particularly in biotechnology, medicine, and emerging technologies that enhance human capabilities. Section V of the party's platform calls for expanded allocations to research aimed at eradicating diseases and improving sentient beings through advancements in life sciences, technology, and medicine.[36] This includes redirecting resources from less productive areas, such as military expenditures, toward biomedical initiatives that address aging as a treatable condition.[36] A core focus is regulatory reform to expedite innovation, as outlined in Section VIII, which supports maximum liberty for research into curing diseases, extending human lifespans, and augmenting physiological and cognitive functions, provided such pursuits remain lawful and accessible without undue barriers.[36] The party specifically endorses repealing stringent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval processes for therapies, allowing patients to access experimental treatments via informed consent, thereby hastening progress toward life-extension technologies.[36] Section LXXVII proposes boosting the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget to prioritize medical research and product development, recognizing its historical role in breakthroughs while critiquing inefficiencies in current allocation.[36] In longevity research, the party prioritizes reversing biological aging through targeted investments, including an annual $100 billion commitment under Section CIV to fund efforts explicitly designed to halt and reverse aging processes at the cellular level.[36] Complementary planks support $10 billion yearly for reversible cryopreservation research (Section CXXI), enabling future revival as a bridge to comprehensive rejuvenation therapies.[36] These positions align with the party's promotion of longevity escape velocity—the concept that therapeutic advancements could outpace aging rates—evidenced by initiatives like LEV: The Game, a simulation tool developed to educate on overcoming senescence.[37] Chairman Gennady Stolyarov II has emphasized this threshold as achievable within the current generation via sustained scientific momentum.[38] Broader endorsements include leveraging biotechnology, nanotechnology, and genetic engineering (Section IX) to ameliorate human limitations, alongside rapid infrastructure for research facilities adaptable to aging studies (Section XCVIII).[36] The platform's amendments, such as those ratified between February 17 and March 10, 2025, reflect ongoing member votes to refine these policies amid evolving evidence from fields like senolytics and regenerative medicine.[36] While prioritizing empirical validation, the party cautions against unsubstantiated claims in research funding, favoring peer-reviewed outcomes over speculative ventures.[36]Economic and Societal Reforms
The United States Transhumanist Party advocates for a fundamental overhaul of taxation systems, proposing the elimination of all income taxes, including graduated structures, and their replacement with a flat percentage-of-sales tax applied solely to purchases from large businesses exceeding a specified revenue threshold. This tax would exempt life necessities such as consumable goods essential for survival and would not apply to wages, salaries, gifts, donations, barter, employee benefits, inheritances, or transactions involving individuals and small businesses, while also calling for the abolition of all property and land taxes.[36] Such reforms aim to simplify fiscal burdens, encourage economic transactions, and reduce administrative overhead that disproportionately affects smaller entities.[36] Central to the party's economic vision is the endorsement of an unconditional universal basic income (UBI) for all sentient entities, providing a fixed minimum of resources regardless of employment status or other income, to ensure basic existence and liberty amid technological disruptions to labor markets.[36] To fund this, the party supports a federal land dividend mechanism, leasing unused federal lands—excluding national parks, forests, and landmarks—to environmentally responsible private corporations, with proceeds directed toward UBI payments.[36] These measures reflect a "politics of abundance" paradigm, where advancing technologies like automation and biotechnology are expected to generate widespread prosperity, diminishing scarcity-driven conflicts and enabling human focus on creative endeavors over mere survival.[39] Fiscal responsibility features prominently, with calls to reduce the national debt through cuts to wasteful spending, cessation of non-essential foreign military occupations, promotion of innovation-driven growth to boost revenues without expenditure increases, streamlined federal contracting to favor efficiency over incumbency, and digitization of government services to eliminate legacy inefficiencies.[36] The party opposes industry subsidies and protectionism except in acute crises like natural disasters, prioritizing market adaptation and competition to drive lower costs and broader adoption of superior technologies, such as cleaner energy sources.[36] Military expenditures, deemed excessively high at hundreds of billions annually with significant waste, should be curtailed to redirect funds toward high-impact areas like disease eradication, which claims far more lives than armed conflicts.[36] On societal fronts, the party seeks reforms fostering accountability and equity in resource allocation, including strict restitution for misappropriation of federally funded programs like disaster relief or education grants, and prohibiting special subsidies or tax breaks for members of Congress unavailable to ordinary citizens.[36] It supports increased budgets for institutions like the National Institutes of Health to accelerate medical research yielding public-domain innovations, arguing that such investments—cited in one-third of corporate biotech patents—stimulate economic progress without regulatory overreach.[36] Broader societal shifts emphasize technological mitigation of existential risks and enhancement of well-being through reason and science, including compensation for pandemic-induced economic harms beyond UBI, to uphold justice in policy-induced disruptions.[36][39] These positions integrate economic liberalization with societal safeguards, anticipating that transhumanist advancements will render traditional welfare models obsolete by achieving post-scarcity conditions.[39]Civil Liberties and Governance Innovations
The U.S. Transhumanist Party emphasizes robust protections for individual privacy and autonomy, opposing mass surveillance and intrusions into non-coercive personal activities while affirming the right to peaceful criticism of publicly disclosed matters.[36] It upholds morphological freedom, defined as the right of sentient beings to alter their physical forms, intelligence, or reproductive choices—such as through genetic engineering, cybernetic enhancements, cryonics, or life extension—provided no direct harm to others, including advance directives overriding legal definitions of death.[36] This extends to rejecting government limitations on self-modification and recognizing ethical decisions as the purview of individuals, not external authorities.[36] The party also supports freedoms of peaceful speech, assembly, protest, and petition, condemning all censorship, including that motivated by identity politics.[36] Additional civil liberties positions include ending the drug war to curb enforcement overreach on non-users, legalizing mild recreational substances like marijuana, and reducing incarceration through technology-enabled monitoring and individualized sentencing over mandatory minimums.[36] The party advocates eradicating police brutality by restricting force to imminent threats, prohibiting military-grade equipment for law enforcement, mandating non-lethal ammunition like rubber bullets as standard, and requiring body cameras with tamper-proof data transmission for sousveillance and accountability.[36] It supports reinstating voting rights for felons post-sentence, creating public prosecutors for civil-rights violations, legalizing consensual prostitution with anti-trafficking safeguards, and affirming bodily autonomy for adults in procedures like genetic enhancements or gender reassignment absent health risks.[36] Opposition to autonomous lethal weapons and profit-driven euthanasia underscores commitments to security of person and anti-coercion, as outlined in the Transhumanist Bill of Rights, which prohibits slavery, ensures equal privacy in digital realms with limited data retention, and mandates fact-based governance to protect sapient rights.[12] On governance innovations, the party seeks to dismantle the two-party duopoly via proportional representation, ranked-preference voting, and eased ballot access, while shortening campaigns, synchronizing primaries, and abolishing the Electoral College for direct popular vote to minimize sensationalism and elevate rational candidates.[36] It proposes single-subject bills, mandatory scientific projections of legislative impacts, AI-assisted risk assessments for proposed laws, and non-partisan redistricting via algorithms to combat gerrymandering and enhance transparency.[36] Further reforms include curtailing executive overreach—such as requiring congressional approval for nuclear strikes or international agreements—depoliticizing judicial appointments, simplifying conflicting laws, mandating conflict-of-interest disclosures, and live-streaming deliberations with public sousveillance of officials.[36] Encouragement of seasteads and micronations for experimental governance models, alongside layperson empowerment through technology to counter special interests, reflects a vision of decentralized, evidence-driven systems prioritizing individual sovereignty and innovation.[36]Organizational Structure
Leadership and Governance
The United States Transhumanist Party is led by Chairman Gennady Stolyarov II, who has held the position since November 2016, succeeding founder Zoltan Istvan, who established the party in October 2014 and resigned to pursue his 2016 presidential campaign.[40] Stolyarov, an actuary by profession, author of the children's book Death is Wrong (published 2013), and editor-in-chief of The Rational Argumentator, oversees executive functions, including presiding over meetings, appointing committees, and making decisions in emergencies, while emphasizing the party's core ideals of advancing science, reason, and life extension.[40][1] Supporting the Chairman are four rotating Vice-Chairmen—Art Ramon Garcia Jr. (Director of Visual Art), Jason Geringer (Legislative Director since July 2021), Arin Vahanian, and Anthony Nielsen (Director of Technology Outreach)—who assume temporary duties during the Chairman's absence and handle specialized advocacy, with rotations occurring quarterly or as specified (e.g., Geringer served August-October 2024 and 2025).[40] The Secretary, Brent Ellman, manages administrative records and has been active in the party for over five years, focusing on areas like artificial intelligence and longevity.[40] Additional leadership includes specialized Directors, such as Dan Elton (Scholarship, a staff scientist at the National Institutes of Health), Charlie Kam (Marketing), Tom Ross (Sentient Rights Advocacy), and others addressing energy, community resilience, publication, longevity outreach, and citizen science, though positions like Director of Applied Innovation and Foreign Relations remain vacant as of 2025.[40] Regional liaisons (e.g., Dinorah Delfin for New York) and foreign ambassadors from over 20 countries facilitate grassroots and international coordination.[40] Governance operates under a constitution ratified in 2017, establishing a member-driven democracy balanced by officer oversight, with immutable Core Ideals including the pursuit of indefinite life extension, rational inquiry, and mitigation of existential risks through technology.[1] Membership is free and open to individuals affirming these ideals, divided into United States Members (eligible for electoral votes) and Allied Members (non-U.S. residents voting on internal matters), excluding those with unreformed violent criminal histories.[1] Officers, requiring at least four years of transhumanist involvement or equivalent experience, are appointed or removed by a two-thirds vote of active officers plus Chairman approval, promoting merit-based selection over popularity.[1] Decision-making emphasizes transparency and member participation, with platform planks and amendments ratified by majority online votes of active members (e.g., Sections XCII-CXXV added December 2019 to March 2025), while Chairman elections demand two-thirds officer approval and two months' notice, defaulting to a random selection from willing officers if no successor is named.[1] The structure respects state affiliate autonomy but allows national intervention for inactivity, prioritizing ethical, non-violent operations aligned with scientific progress and individual liberty, without mandatory dues or hierarchical coercion.[1] This framework, informed by transhumanist principles of decentralized innovation, contrasts with traditional parties by integrating algorithmic elements like random selection for impartiality in unresolved successions.[1]Membership and State Affiliates
Membership in the U.S. Transhumanist Party is free and open to individuals worldwide without any ideological or residency requirements, requiring only completion of an online application form.[41] Members receive benefits including a complimentary digital compilation titled "Tips for Advancing a Brighter Future" and discounts on regenerative medicine procedures offered by allied organization AmpliCell Medical.[41] The party reached a milestone of 1,000 members on July 7, 2018, reflecting early growth driven by its online recruitment model.[11] The U.S. Transhumanist Party maintains collaborations with state-level transhumanist organizations to promote localized advocacy aligned with its national platform.[42] Active affiliates include the California Transhumanist Party, which operates independently with a focus on integrating science and technology into state politics; the Transhumanist Party of Colorado; Transhumanist Party of Illinois; Kentucky Transhumanist Party; Nevada Transhumanist Party; Transhumanist Party of New Hampshire; Transhumanist Party of Texas; Transhumanist Party of Virginia; and Washington State Transhumanist Party.[42] [43] Additionally, a Washington, D.C. Transhumanist Party Meetup facilitates regional engagement.[42] These entities, often coordinated via social media groups and websites, support grassroots efforts but lack formal ballot access in most jurisdictions, emphasizing policy influence over electoral competition.[42] The national party encourages transhumanists to establish or affiliate with additional state groups to expand reach.[42]Alliances and Coalitions
The U.S. Transhumanist Party formalized a political coalition with the U.S. Pirate Party on September 4, 2025, under the name "All Hands for a Free Future."[44] This agreement followed exploratory discussions initiated in late 2024, including joint meetings where Transhumanist Party Chairman Gennady Stolyarov II participated in the Pirate National Committee's December 2024 session, and reciprocal involvement by Pirate Party members in Transhumanist deliberations.[45] The coalition preserves the autonomy of each party to nominate distinct U.S. presidential candidates while enabling coordinated advocacy on overlapping priorities such as technological innovation, civil liberties, and opposition to restrictive regulations on digital rights and personal freedoms.[46] Member approval for the coalition was secured through an August 2025 internal vote, which also considered endorsements of aligned candidates including Zoltan Istvan, a prior Transhumanist Party presidential nominee, and Timothy Grady.[47] The partnership reflects shared commitments to evidence-based policy and resistance against censorship or overreach in areas like intellectual property and privacy, though specific joint platforms remain under negotiation without formalized policy mergers as of October 2025.[48] Beyond this coalition, the Transhumanist Party has pursued informal collaborations with international transhumanist entities through appointed foreign ambassadors, such as Alexander Wåhlberg in Sweden, who reports on regional advancements in biomedical technology and AI governance to inform U.S. advocacy efforts.[49] No broader formal alliances with major transhumanist think tanks like Humanity+ or other U.S. political groups have been publicly announced, emphasizing instead decentralized networking over centralized mergers.[50]Electoral Activities and Impact
Early Campaigns and Ballot Access Challenges
The U.S. Transhumanist Party's initial foray into electoral politics occurred during the 2020 presidential election cycle, where it endorsed Charlie Kam as its presidential candidate and Liz Parrish as vice-presidential nominee on June 11, 2020.[51] This endorsement followed an internal member vote and aimed to promote the party's platform on technological advancement, longevity research, and voluntary human enhancement through the ballot process. However, the party encountered substantial barriers to achieving formal ballot access nationwide, as state laws impose rigorous requirements on minor parties, including the collection of thousands of valid signatures within compressed timeframes—often 1-2% of the prior gubernatorial vote total, verified by election officials.[52] Resource constraints exacerbated these hurdles; with a membership primarily composed of intellectuals, technologists, and advocates rather than a large volunteer base for grassroots petitioning, the USTP lacked the manpower and funding to meet thresholds in competitive states like California (requiring over 200,000 signatures) or Texas (approximately 113,000). In Nevada, for instance, minor-party qualification demands signatures from at least 1% of voters who participated in the last U.S. House election, a threshold no new party had surmounted recently, prompting the Nevada Transhumanist affiliate to abandon petition drives in early 2020 due to impracticality.[53] The party opposed legislative efforts like Nevada's SB 292, which sought to further restrict access by mandating signatures from major-party registrants, arguing it entrenched the two-party duopoly and stifled innovation-oriented alternatives.[54] Unable to secure printed ballot placement in any state, the USTP pivoted to a write-in strategy, instructing supporters to manually enter Kam and Parrish on ballots where permitted and providing state-specific guidance via its website.[51] Preliminary tallies from member reports indicated a modest but verified lower bound of write-in votes, though official counts were minimal and not sufficient to influence outcomes amid dominant major-party participation.[55] This approach highlighted broader systemic challenges for ideologically niche parties: not only logistical petition demands but also the absence of automatic ballot inclusion for emerging groups, which favors established entities with institutional support and media visibility. Subsequent state-level advocacy, such as comments on ballot measures, underscored ongoing frustrations with access rules perceived as protective of incumbents rather than reflective of voter pluralism.[22]2024 Write-In Campaign Outcomes
The U.S. Transhumanist Party (USTP) endorsed Tom Ross for President and Daniel Twedt for Vice President in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, pursuing a nationwide write-in strategy amid ballot access barriers that prevented formal listing in any state.[56] Voters were instructed to write in the candidates' full names—Thomas Ernest Ross, Jr., for president and Daniel Emerson Twedt for vice president—on ballots in states permitting write-ins, with the party providing state-specific guidance on eligibility, counting rules, and verification via emailed confirmations or photos where legally allowed.[56] The campaign emphasized transhumanist priorities such as technological progress, life extension, and electoral reforms to lower future ballot thresholds.[56] Preliminary outcomes, compiled from self-reported member votes with photographic evidence where feasible, recorded 37 verified write-in votes for the Ross-Twedt ticket as of December 13, 2024, establishing a confirmed lower bound on total support.[24] These votes spanned 19 states, reflecting dispersed but limited participation.[24]
In a parallel local effort, Twedt garnered 570 write-in votes for Thousand Oaks City Council in Ventura County, California, contributing to a combined total of 607 votes for USTP-endorsed candidates in 2024.[24] Official election authorities often underreport or omit write-in tallies below certain thresholds, suggesting actual figures may exceed these member-verified minima.[24]
Post-election, the USTP acknowledged Donald Trump's victory on November 8, 2024, while committing to oppositional advocacy on policy matters, continued critique of the two-party system, and pursuits in transhumanist goals like longevity research, without endorsing the incoming administration's full agenda.[23] The campaign underscored ongoing challenges in third-party visibility but aligned with the party's broader strategy of incremental influence through endorsements and internal platform votes.[23]