The UK Pirate Party is just over one year old, but already it's participating in the General Election with candidates in nine constituencies. Pirate Party voters who go to the polling booth today can be assured that, contrary to recent rumors, it is okay to wear a pirate costume.

The General Election is dominating the news in Britain today.

Westminster Council’s Nigel Tonkin, who has been organizing elections for 35 years, has been commenting to the BBC on the do’s and don’t at the polling station. He confirmed that party insignia and emblems are not allowed, but that Pirate Party voters are free to show up in a pirate costume.

“There’s a candidate standing in Westminster as a pirate. And if he comes in to vote in a pirate costume as is likely, we won’t turn him away. The same goes for any supporters coming to vote as pirates.” Parrots and other pets are also welcome at the polling stations, Tonkin said.

In all seriousness, the UK Pirate Party is no joke. They stand for real issues that are dear to the hearts of voters but are often overlooked by other politicians. The passing of the Digital Economy Act is a prime example of where the public opinion differs from that of the lawmakers.

As with the Swedish party in last summer’s EU elections, not all the candidates are fresh faced youngsters. Quite a few are definitely middle-aged, including party leader Andrew Robinson (41) who’s confident that his party can make a difference if given the chance.

“Today we can strike fear into the hearts of our enemies, Andrew Robinson says. “Today we can show them that we will no longer sit idly by as they take away our rights, as they take away our privacy, as they force greater and greater burdens and costs on us while lining their own pockets.”

“Today, we show them what can be achieved by real men and women, scattered across the country, connected by technologies the other parties still struggle to understand,” Robinson added. The polling stations will close 10 PM local time, the first results are expected to come in later in the evening.

The Pirate Party candidates are: