The U.S. Transhumanist Party is holding an electronic vote of the membership for a 14-day period, ending on 6:01 p.m. U.S. Pacific Time on Monday, September 1, 2025, on three questions:

(1) Whether to endorse the candidacy of Zoltan Istvan, who is running as a Democrat for Governor of California in 2026.

(The campaign website of Zoltan Istvan is https://www.zoltanistvan2026.com/.)

(2) Whether to endorse the candidacy of Timothy Grady, who is running as an independent candidate for Governor of Ohio in 2026.

(The campaign website of Timothy Grady is https://timgradyforohio.com/.)

(3) Whether to enter a political coalition, All Hands for a Free Future, with the U.S. Pirate Party and adopt the Bylaws for All Hands for a Free Future, which were jointly developed between the U.S. Transhumanist Party and the U.S Pirate Party.

(The text of the Bylaws for All Hands for a Free Future can be found on the following page: https://transhumanist-party.org/2025/08/18/bylaws-all-hands-for-a-free-future/.)

For each of the three questions, the options for members to select among will be “Yes”, “No”, and “Abstain”.

Registered U.S. Transhumanist Party members as of 12:01 a.m. U.S. Pacific Time on Monday, August 18, 2025, would be able to cast their ballots on this question and will be sent their ballots via e-mail.

Background Information

Below the U.S. Transhumanist Party provides additional information on each of the three ballot questions to enable members to have more context about each decision. At this time, the U.S. Transhumanist Party leadership is simply providing this information to help members make their own decisions. The information below is not to be interpreted as an attempt to urge members to vote one way or the other. Members are free to form their own opinions and to discuss and debate any or all of the ballot questions on the U.S. Transhumanist Party website or in any other venue. Such discussions and debates are encouraged.

The U.S. Transhumanist Party also notes that Article VII of the USTP Constitution allows the USTP to endorse candidates that run on behalf of other political parties, as well as independent candidates, provided that such candidates agree “to either (a) specifically and openly express support for transhumanism and/or life extension; or (b) specifically and openly reference the endorsement of that individual by the United States Transhumanist Party.” (Article VII, Section I, Paragraph (xvi)) Both Zoltan Istvan and Timothy Grady have agreed to do either or both of the above and have had histories of positively referencing the United States Transhumanist Party.

Question 1. Endorsement of Zoltan Istvan for Governor of California in 2026

Zoltan Istvan founded the Transhumanist Party on October 7, 2014, and ran for President of the United States in the 2016 elections to raise awareness for transhumanist political issues. After the 2016 elections, Zoltan has relinquished control of the Transhumanist Party but remains a valued advisor to those who seek to create a lasting transhumanist movement.

On June 15, 2025, the U.S. Transhumanist Party invited Zoltan Istvan to a Virtual Enlightenment Salon to discuss his 2026 gubernatorial run in California as a Democrat. The U.S. Transhumanist Party used this opportunity to have a candid conversation about Zoltan’s most current views and which policies would be most efficacious in improving the State of California as well as the future of humanity more broadly.

During the first hour, Zoltan Istvan discussed his campaign and fielded challenging questions from the U.S. Transhumanist Party panelists and members, including the following:

• How transhumanist is his 2026 gubernatorial campaign?
• Is he willing to openly advocate for indefinite life extension?
• Why is he running as a Democrat: pragmatism – or does he actually agree with them now?
• Why does he lead with fearful, rather than hopeful, rhetoric about AI?
• How have his stances on Universal Basic Income shifted since 2016?
• Does he believe that winning the election is a possibility?
• How do his various positions align with and differ from those of the U.S. Transhumanist Party?

Zoltan Istvan’s stances on key issues can be read on this page.

The U.S. Transhumanist Party Platform differs from Zoltan Istvan’s approach toward artificial intelligence (AI) in that Section CXX begins as follows: “The United States Transhumanist Party supports approaching technologies of artificial intelligence primarily as opportunities rather than as threats. The potential of artificial intelligence, including generative AI, to foster creativity, solve problems, cure diseases, create new opportunities, and facilitate radical abundance far outweighs the risks and dangers of AI.”

There are various areas of alignment between the USTP Platform and Zoltan Istvan’s campaign as well, including the following:

• Creation of an Automated Abundance Economy (Aligns with Section IX)
• Universal Basic Income (Aligns with Sections XVI and XCVII)
• Changing Education (Aligns with Sections XII, LXXXVII, and CVII)

Ultimately, it is the decision of each individual USTP member to evaluate and weigh the areas of alignment and divergence between Zoltan Istvan’s campaign messaging and the USTP Platform.

Background on Question 2. Endorsement of Timothy Grady for Governor of Ohio in 2026

Timothy Grady has provided the following statement in support of his nomination.

Statement by Timothy Grady:

My name is Timothy Grady. I’m an independent candidate for governor of Ohio in 2026. My campaign was announced a month ago and I’m currently in the process of building my volunteer organization and collecting signatures for ballot access.

I’ve had a long-term interest in the Transhumanist Party, following Zoltan’s 2016 presidential campaign closely. I am a tech and innovation focused candidate, I believe material progress and increasing prosperity only arises from productivity growth as a result of innovation so finding ways to stimulate the rate of innovation is a priority.

Anyway, I am interested in seeking the Transhumanist Party endorsement for my election. I am aware that the Pirate Party and Transhumanist Party are taking steps toward an alliance so I’d also highlight that I am seeking a Pirate Party endorsement and would like, if possible, to secure endorsements from both parties separately.

I have had minor news coverage, I have political experience, and I have the intention and a plan for winning my election. You can learn more about me on my website or feel free to reach out anytime.

Timothy Grady’s stances on key issues can be read on this page.

Some areas of alignment between Timothy Grady’s campaign messaging and the U.S. Transhumanist Party Platform include the following:

• Emphasis on political competition: “We need more people to run for office, we need more options on the ballot. We need people to be able to engage in democracy and politics with respect, not anger or fear, we need to be able to disagree constructively, we need to be able to live and govern without uniformity.” (This aligns with the USTP Platform Section XIX, which “supports an end to the two-party political system in the United States and a substantially greater inclusion of “third parties” in the political process through mechanisms such as proportional representation and the elimination of stringent ballot-access requirements.”)
• Section on “Beyond Left vs Right” – This aligns with the Values of the U.S. Transhumanist Party, in the statement of What We Stand For.
• Section on “Ending Corruption, Restoring Trust” – This aligns with many of the USTP Platform Sections characterized as “Reforming Political Processes and Improving Governmental Accountability” – including Sections XLII, XLIII, LII, and LIII.

Ultimately, it is the decision of each individual USTP member to evaluate Timothy Grady’s campaign messaging and develop an opinion regarding the extent of its alignment with the USTP Platform.

Background on Question 3. All Hands for a Free Future: Political Coalition with the U.S. Pirate Party

The text of the Bylaws for All Hands for a Free Future can be found on the following page: https://transhumanist-party.org/2025/08/18/bylaws-all-hands-for-a-free-future/

The Bylaws were jointly arrived at through discussions between the leadership of the U.S. Transhumanist Party and U.S. Pirate Party during 2024-2025.

To see recordings of many of these conversations, watch the U.S. Pirate Party meetings of December 15, 2024, March 30, 2025, and  June 29, 2025, where U.S. Transhumanist Party representatives participated, as well as the USTP’s Virtual Enlightenment Salons with representatives of the U.S. Pirate Party, its current Captain Mitch Davilo (December 15, 2024) and previous Captain Drew Bingaman (June 29, 2025).

The major implication of entering into the All Hands for a Free Future coalition with the U.S. Pirate Party will be the cross-endorsement by the two parties of one another’s candidates for non-Presidential governmental offices in the United States through June 2029, with the option of renewing the coalition for a four-year term thereafter and the possibility of fielding a jointly endorsed U.S. Presidential candidate in 2032. The U.S. Transhumanist Party and U.S. Pirate Party will, however, be anticipated to field their own distinct U.S. Presidential candidates in 2028.

The proposed Bylaws are presently being provided for U.S. Transhumanist Party members to deliberate and vote upon as the final step in their adoption. Because the language was negotiated directly with the U.S. Pirate Party, the USTP members are being given the options to vote “Yes”, “No”, or “Abstain” on the proposed Bylaws as a singular document. It remains the decision of each individual USTP member as to whether or not to support the adoption of these Bylaws when considering their provisions in totality.