The Pirate Party prepares a raid on Capitol Hill (from a '92 Buick)

Avast, ye hearties! Congress is about to get invaded by a pirate, if Stephen Collings has his way. Collings, 25, a Nashville-based design engineer, hopes to become the first U.S. Representative endorsed by the U.S. Pirate Party, which seeks to reform copyright laws and use technology to empower civic participation in government.

Today, four leaders of Collings's party are touring the country in a maroon 1992 Buick LeSabre, including administrative officer Ryan Martin, 28, who quit his job and sold most of his possessions to embark on the recruiting tour. On Wednesday, the Buick was in Atlanta. "The LeSabre is worth $100 and in terrible condition, but we're using next-generation technologies like couchsurfing.org," says Martin, whose possessions include a Nokia n800 internet tablet "in a military-grade housing," the clothes on his back, and not much else.