Lisa Marie Memmel, September 9, 1970 -
VP candidate for Transhumanist Party (2016)
Running mate with nominee: Zoltan Istvan Gyurko (b. 1973)
Popular vote: 95 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
The Transhumanist Party was formed in 2014 by Zoltan Istvan of Mill Valley, Calif., who used it as a vehicle in his Presidential run for 2016. An entrepreneur and futurist, Istvan filed with the FEC in June, 2015.
The campaign website summarized his message--
TRANSHUMANIST BILL OF RIGHTS
Preamble: Whereas science and technology are now radically changing human beings and may also create future forms ofadvanced sapient and sentient life, transhumanists establish this TRANSHUMANIST BILL OF RIGHTS to help guide and enact sensible policies in the pursuit of life, liberty, security of person, and happiness.
Article 1. Human beings, sentient artificial intelligences, cyborgs, and other advanced sapient life forms are entitled to universal rights of ending involuntary suffering, making personhood improvements, and achieving an indefinite lifespan via science and technology.
Article 2. Under penalty of law, no cultural, ethnic, or religious perspectives influencing government policy can impede life extension science, the health of the public, or the possible maximum amount of life hours citizens possess.
Article 3. Human beings, sentient artificial intelligences, cyborgs, and other advanced sapient life forms agree to uphold morphological freedom—the right to do with one’s physical attributes or intelligence (dead, alive, conscious, or unconscious) whatever one wants so long as it doesn’t hurt anyone else.
Article 4. Human beings, sentient artificial intelligences, cyborgs, and other advanced sapient life forms will take every reasonable precaution to prevent existential risk, including those of rogue artificial intelligence, asteroids, plagues, weapons of mass destruction, bioterrorism, war, and global warming, among others.
Article 5. All nations and their governments will take all reasonable measures to embrace and fund space travel, not only for the spirit of adventure and to gain knowledge by exploring the universe, but as an ultimate safeguard to its citizens and transhumanity should planet Earth become uninhabitable or be destroyed.
Article 6. Involuntary aging shall be classified as a disease. All nations and their governments will actively seek to dramatically extend the lives and improve the health of its citizens by offering them scientific and medical technologies to overcome involuntary aging.
Part of Istvan's electioneering included touring the nation in a large, brown coffin-shaped RV called The Immortality Bus (a 1978 Blue Bird Wanderlodge) which included a sign that read "Science vs. the Coffin." It was sort of like a Transhumanist version of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Compared to other third party candidates in his campaign spending bracket, Istvan had a real gift for garnering publicity to draw attention to his cause.
The candidate told one reporter he wanted transgender/transhumanist Martine Rothblatt, a high profile futurist with financial resources, as his running-mate, but she declined. He then turned to his wife, Lisa Memmel, and she filled the role as Vice-Presidential nominee.
Other married couples who ran as a ticket include Marvin Edward Perkins/Dorothy Louise Perkins - Independent (1980), Henry R. King/Sandra M. King - Independent (1984, 1988, 1992), David C. Byrne/Karen Byrne - Common Citizens of the United States of America (2000), Stanford Eugene Andress/Irene Altahelle Markley Deasy - Unaffiliated (2004), Debra Joyce Renderos/Oscar Renderos Castillo - Independent (2004), Oscar R. Renderos/Debra Joyce Renderos - Independent (2008), Debra Joyce Renderos/Oscar R. Renderos - Independent (2008), Christopher Michael Padgett/Linda Aileen Padgett - Independent (2012), Khadijah Maryam Jacob-Fambro/Milton Lewis Fambro III - Loyal Trustworthy Compassion Party (2016) and Jennifer Joy Vogel-Walcutt/Christopher Barrett Walcutt - Non Affiliated (2016).
Istvan indicated Memmel was a "placeholder VP" in an Oct. 27, 2016 Facebook posting--
From Presidential candidate Zoltan Istvan: I had a great time in New York last week. We had a nice meet up in the city with a bunch of Transhumanist Party supporters. For those of you voting early, please remember that if you write in my name on the ballot in New York, Florida or elsewhere, you should use my legal and FEC registered name: Zoltan Istvan Gyurko. In New York and Florida you should also include as my placeholder VP: Lisa Memmel. There are plenty of other states you can write me in as well where lots of transhumanists live, like Oregon, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania (You don't have to write any VP there), but email me with questions, as some state filing dates are still open. info@zoltanistvan.com Thanks for your support!
Registered as write-ins in two states, the Gyurko/Memmel ticket received 19 votes in Florida and 76 in New York. In the event of their victory, the shared residency in the same state would have posed a Constitutional problem. Although Istvan continued his political career under other party banners, the Transhumanist Party continues with new people in leadership positions and ran candidates in the 2020 Presidential election.
Election history: none
Other occupations: obstetrician-gynecologist, author
Notes:
Istvan ran for Governor of California in 2018 as a Libertarian and later ran in the primaries for the 2020 Republican nomination.
PNW trivia alert!!! It appears that in their past Istvan lived in Oregon and Memmel in Washington.
