As citizens in Massachusetts go to the polls today to vote in the Republican primary, there is one party hoping to scoop some votes – the Massachusetts Pirate Party.

Founded almost exactly a year ago, it is hoping people will ignore the pageantry of the primary, or the speeches of their former Governor, Mitt Romney, to focus on a Pirate Message.

To jump-start that process, they are hosting a conference this weekend – March 10th – to try and attract supporters. In an attempt to get the best class of supporters possible, they’re holding it in the intellectual heart of the US, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to both Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

With topics including “Understanding Kopimism”, “Fight Ridiculous With Ridiculous: The Guerrilla Tactics of Fair Use”, and “Fair Use for Activists”, there is a strong copyright theme. Perhaps more importantly for the local pirates, is the panel “How to Run for Office”, as they are currently offering one candidate for a State House seat (16th Middlesex) in November, with the possibility of more to come.

Will they become the first Pirate Party outside mainland Europe to get a Pirate elected? That remains to be seen, but in the wake of the SOPA/PIPA protests, and with tempers running high about ACTA, anything is possible….