Constitution and Bylaws Changes

#1: Strike Regional Requirements for National Conventions

Authors: Danya L-B. (East Bay)

Rationale:

In the past, DSA has rotated its convention locations by regions of the United States,  including Atlanta, GA (2019), Chicago, IL (2017), Bolivar, PA (2015), Emeryville, CA (2013), and  Vienna, VA (2011). These practices were instituted when DSA was a much smaller organization than it is now, and when the number of delegates attending these conventions was much smaller.  Rotating the convention locations may not be the ideal practice for DSA in 2023 and beyond, for a variety of reasons, including questions of environmental sustainability and fluctuating convention attendance costs. Furthermore, meeting in a geographically central location may help better distribute the impact of jet lag and long travel times.

Potential good faith arguments to maintain the current practice of rotating regions for our  conventions include:

1. Supporting the growth of locals in a variety of regions through the  convention – not just in one concentrated area.
2. Distributing the amassed burden of travel time  and expenses equitably across locals.

The intentions behind these arguments ought to be taken very seriously, but there has not  been significant growth in chapters that have hosted conventions that can specifically be  attributed to the hosting of conventions in these cities. DSA conventions are largely internal events  restricted to attendees who are already members and the press, due to space reasons, and do  not generally attract a large presence of interested but unaffiliated individuals. Furthermore, the  financial burden of travel is already redistributed through programs such as travel share, and it is  difficult to quantify whether rotating the burden of travel time every two years is really making the  travel time burden lighter for anyone but delegates who have been attending the convention for  many, many years.

Rather than prescribing a specific location or set of locations for future conventions, the  location of the 2023 DSA Convention and future conventions after that should be decided on by  the NPC based on the following considerations:

1. Minimizing the number of delegates who must travel out of town to the location of  the convention, and maximizing the number of delegates who can offer solidarity  housing. 
2. Minimizing the average distance and travel costs traveled by all delegates living  50 miles or more away from the convention location.
3. Minimizing the lodging costs for out-of-town delegates, while continuing our  practice of only patronizing union-staffed hotels or convention sites.

Given its density of DSA members who would not need to travel and could potentially  provide solidarity housing to delegates, the high density of cost-efficient union hotels, and central geographic location in the continental United States, the signatories recommend locating most  conventions in the Chicago metro area. Other conferences on the scale of DSA’s convention meet  in Chicago each year, such as the Socialism Conference, and the city’s role as a major airline  hub should also keep pricing for both travel and lodging reasonable. The city’s role as a major rail hub for Amtrak and bus lines might also encourage the use of lower-carbon travel options by  delegates. However, we are open to any other location being chosen depending on the unique  circumstances that present themselves with each convention.

Amended Language :

Article VI. National Conventions

[…]

Section 5.

National Conventions shall be held in different areas and regions of the country each time. in a location decided on by the NPC at least a year in advance of the convention,  based on finding a location that can best meet the following criteria: (1) Minimizing the  number of delegates who must travel to the location of the convention and maximizing the number of delegates who can offer solidarity housing. (2) Minimizing the average  distance and travel costs traveled by all delegates living 50 miles or more away from the  convention location. (3) Minimizing the lodging costs for delegates, while continuing our practice of only patronizing union-staffed hotels or convention sites.

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#2: National Referendum

Authors: Andy S (Madison); Natalia T (New York City); Hakan Y (New York City); Derek B (Oklahoma City)

Amended Language :

The DSA Constitution shall be amended,

Adding a new article after V National Conventions:

And subsequent articles renumbered.

Amending Article XIII. Amendments by adding:

Article XIII. Amendments
This Constitution may be amended at a National Convention by a two-thirds vote of the delegates voting and present provided that written notice of such amendments has been given to members one month prior to the Convention or by a two-thirds Referendum vote if a quorum of 15% of members participates.

BYLAWS

 Article XIII. Polls

Polls of the members on specific issues may be held upon petition of one-half of the Locals or one-third of the members. Such polls shall be advisory and not binding.

Article XIII. Referenda
Section 1.
The NPC shall administer an online petition and voting system for members to participate in Referenda. (a) The NPC may call a Referendum by majority vote. (b) Members may call a Referendum by petition from 1% of members, not to exceed 1000 members. (c) Locals
may call a Referendum by petition of locals representing 10% of the total number of recognized chapters. Signatures for petition may be gathered in person or electronically. Calls to Referendum shall be in the form of a question put to members, along with options responding to the question, among which members may vote. One of these options shall represent no action by DSA.

Section 2.
Calls to Referendum shall be announced to members within 15 days of receipt, and shall declare the referendum schedule. Voting on the referendum shall begin no sooner than 45 and no later than 90 days after the Call to Referendum is announced.

Section 3.
All members in good standing on the date a Call to Referendum is announced will be eligible to vote in such Referendum. Voting will be open for 14 days. Every member eligible to vote will be notified electronically when voting opens, and 48 hours before voting closes. Members without electronic contact information on file will be informed of the vote by postal mail. An option to abstain shall be included with each ballot. If a supermajority is required, it will be calculated by comparing the winning option directly with the No Action option.

Section 4.
A quorum of 10% of eligible members must vote or respond with an abstention for a Referendum vote to be valid.

Section 5.
The NPC shall encourage online deliberation and deliberation within Locals on each Referendum, facilitating a fair and open discussion of the issue. National DSA resources, including but not limited to, staff, finances, and member lists, except discussion forums open to members, shall not be used to argue for any option in a Referendum.

Section 6.
An optional survey, asking for demographic information, ZIP code, National Working Group membership, whether the member is an elected leader of any kind, and date of last participation in a DSA meeting or activity, shall be included with each referendum vote. After the vote is complete, ballot and survey data shall be made available to members for research purposes.

And subsequent articles renumbered.

And amending Article XIV Amendments by adding:

Article XIV. Amendments
These Bylaws may be amended at a National Convention by a three-fifths vote of
the delegates voting and present provided that written notice of such amendments has been given to members one month prior to the Convention. The Bylaws may also be amended by majority at a National Convention if the amendments in question have been discussed at an NPC meeting at least three months prior to the Convention. The Bylaws may also be amended by a Referendum vote if a quorum of 15% of members participate.

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#3: Adding Candidate Membership to the NPC

Authors: Ryan M. (Metro DC)

Rationale:

The National Political Committee (NPC) is the highest decision making body for our organization between conventions and acts as our executive board nationally. It is also a really big job and takes a considerable amount of time and work for an all volunteer leadership. Since 2017 DSA has elected two NPCs, one in 2017 and again in 2019. Both NPCs saw relatively significant attrition rates, with the current NPC having three members drop off less than a year into their term. Under the current bylaws, vacancies are filled by the NPC themselves, and can be anyone in the organization. While this isn’t totally unusual compared to other organizations, as a member run demoratic organization it poses some issues. At times these vacancies has sat open for months, and appointments always involve a fair bit of political debate as they often affect the political balance of the NPC. Moreover the appointed NPC members are often coming into their new roles completely cold, and have to learn on the fly how to perform their duties.

This amendment to our constitution would add 4 additional seats to the NPC for “candidate members.” Candidate members would sit on the NPC without a vote, and if a vacancy comes up they would step into that seat in the order they were elected. This way, we are maintaining the convention’s authority to decide the composition of the national leadership, and avoid any disruption in continuity as vacancies are filled. It also has the added benefit of slightly expanding the NPC to incorporate more voices, without compromising the ability of the NPC to function decisively and transparently.

This bylaw amendment would take effect in 2023.

Amended Language:

DSA Constitution, Article VIII, Section 2:

The members of the NPC shall be one representative of the Youth Section and 16 delegates elected at the national convention. The convention shall also elect 4 candidate members who shall be ex officio members of the NPC without a vote. Of the elected members, no more than eight shall be men and at least five shall be racial or national minority members of DSA. In the event that these minority positions are not filled at the Convention, the position(s)

shall be filled by the NPC, except that only minority members of DSA may be elected to fill such vacancies. In case of other such vacancies, except a vacancy of the Youth Section Representative, candidate members shall fill such vacancies as at-large members. They shall be appointed in order of their vote while maintaining the overall diversity quotas outlined in this section. the NPC shall appoint a member of the organization in good standing to serve until the next Convention. No person shall serve simultaneously on the National Staff and the NPC.

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#4: Electing DSA’s National Director

Authors: Marianela D. (Chicago), Jeremy G. (East Bay), Keon L. (Philadelphia), Jack M. (New York City), Natalie M. (Philadelphia), Megan S. (New York City)

Rationale:

The DSA Constitution outlines a Director position by stating in Article VI, Section 2 that “Director(s) shall be hired by the NPC according to the procedures set out in the DSA Bylaws.” and in Article VI, Section 4 that “The Director(s) shall be members of the full-time staff and shall be the official spokesperson(s) of the organization.”

Now that the organization has grown substantially from its previous size of ~6,000 members to ~90,000 members, DSA’s most important leader should be elected by and democratically accountable to the membership of the organization. Winning an election for the Director position from the delegated convention every two years will give the National Director the mandate they need to effectively lead our organization. Encouraging healthy campaigns for the position will motivate candidates to put forward a compelling vision for our organization.

While the National Director has been viewed as a mostly administrative position, we should recognize that the director’s direct control over DSA’s multi-million budget, dozens of staff, and media prominence makes it an important political leadership position, and it should be treated as such.

Ensuring that the National Director has a vote on the NPC will help allow them to lead politically along with other elected leaders, encourage them to participate actively in important debates over the organization’s policies and practices, and increase transparency of their leadership of national organization.

Amended Language:

DSA Constitution: Article VI. Officers and Staff; Section 2.

The Director(s) shall be hired by the NPC according to the procedures set out in the DSA Bylaws elected by a majority of convention delegates for a two-year term and shall be a voting member of the NPC. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected annually by a majority of the NPC and shall serve until a successor has been chosen.

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Budget or Staff Implications:

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#5: For a National Leadership Elected by and Accountable to DSA members

Authors: Haley P (New York City); Phil G (Madison); Elizabeth L (Chicago)

Amended Language:

Amendment To DSA Constitution & Bylaws

1) Article VIII National Political Committee, Section 2 of the DSA Constitution currently reads:

“The members of the NPC shall be one representative of the Youth Section and 16 delegates elected at the national convention. Of the elected members, no more than eight shall be men and at least five shall be racial or national minority members of DSA. In the event that these minority positions are not filled at the Convention, the position(s) shall be filled by the NPC, except that only minority members of DSA may be elected to fill such vacancies. In case of other such vacancies, except a vacancy of the Youth Section Representative, the NPC shall appoint a member of the organization in good standing to serve until the next Convention. No person shall serve simultaneously on the National Staff and the NPC.”

The DSA Constitution shall be amended so that this section reads as follows:

“…In case of other such vacancies, except a vacancy of the Youth Section Representative, the NPC shall appoint a member of the organization in good standing to serve until the next Convention. a special election by all members shall fill any vacancy on the NPC. The NPC is responsible for setting up elections to fill vacancies in between conventions, and for ensuring that such elections are well-publicized and become a top priority in internal communications to the membership. Voting shall be open to all dues-paying members in good standing at the time of the election announcement. Eligibility to run for a vacant position on the NPC shall be subject to the same criteria established at the convention from which the vacancy arises. Elections to fill a vacancy on the NPC shall be announced within thirty days following the vacancy and voting will commence no more than two months from the start of the vacancy. In the event that the vacancy occurs within six months of the start of a National Convention, the NPC may vote to appoint a member in good standing to temporarily fill the position, or it may remain vacant until the election of a new NPC at the

National Convention. No person shall serve simultaneously on the National Staff and the NPC.”

2) Article VIII shall be amended to add a new section that reads as follows:

Section 9.
Elected NPC members are subject to recall by the organization’s membership. Members in good standing may call for a recall vote of any member or members of the NPC by either (1) petition of 1% of members, not to exceed 1000 members, or (2) by petition of locals representing 10% of the total number of recognized chapters. Signatures for petition may be gathered in person or electronically. Following submission of a valid recall petition, a binding vote will be taken by all members in good standing on whether to recall and remove from office the named member(s) of the NPC on the petition. Recall votes will be publicized to members through national communications. For an NPC member to be recalled, at least 60% of votes cast must respond in favor of recalling the individual(s) in question. A quorum of 10% of eligible members must vote or respond with an abstention for a Referendum vote to be valid. A successful recall vote will automatically trigger new elections by the membership to fill the vacancy.

3) Bylaws Article X National Political Committee shall be amended to add a section that reads as follows:

Section 7.
All votes taken by the NPC, save for those taken in executive session, shall be roll-called with the name of each member and their vote cast, whether aye, nay, abstain, or not present. The NPC will provide minutes of its meetings to the membership within three days of their approval. A meeting shall be considered any gathering of the NPC or SC to conduct business, whether in-person or online. These minutes will include roll call votes on action items, names of motion makers, and shall report the results of online votes in the event that voting occurs between meetings. Roll call votes shall be provided to the membership within three days of being taken.

4) Bylaws Article X National Political Committee, Section IV. currently reads:

“The NPC may appoint committees to supervise specific work; these shall report to the NPC. They will include:
A Finance and Budget Committee which will regularly review with the Director(s) the financial situation of the organization. It will prepare an annual budget; such preparation may be delegated to staff persons in consultation with the chair of the committee. It will direct a fund-raising program. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve as a member or an ex officio member of the committee.

A Personnel Committee which will periodically review staff performance, and fulfill other responsibilities assigned by the NPC.

Editorial Boards for the general publications of the organization which will supervise and edit these publications.

At the first meeting following their appointment, NPC committees shall elect from among their number a chair who shall be responsible for the organization of the committee, that is, for calling meetings, for notifying members of the meetings, for preparing agendas, for producing and distributing minutes to members, and for informing the NPC of the committee’s work.”

The DSA Bylaws shall be amended to add the following sentence at the end of this section:

NPC committees shall meet no later than six weeks after their appointment by the NPC. Committees that fail to meet within six weeks of their appointment shall be disbanded.

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#6: Establishing a National Organizing Committee

Authors: Sam L. (New York City), Renée P. (East Bay)

Amended Language:

Amendments to the Constitution

Amendments to the Bylaws

Article VI. National Conventions

…

Section 3.

Elections of at-large delegates to the Convention shall be held under procedures established by the NPC, except that a motion for the use of the Hare system of proportional representation supported by 15% of those NPC members present and voting will require the use of the Hare system in at-large elections of Convention delegates. Locals may determine their own method of election of delegates to the Convention except that a petition from 10% of a Local’s membership or a motion supported by 15% of those present and voting at the Local meeting which determines the method of election will require the use of the Hare system in that Local’s election of delegates to the National Convention.

Section 4.

The NPC may establish committees to serve prior to and during the Convention. These committees shall include at least one member of the NPC and one state or regional NOC representative in addition to the officers of the organization who shall be ex officio members of the committees except as indicated. These committees may include a Pre-Convention Planning Committee, a Credentials Committee, a Rules Committee, a Resolutions Committee and a Personnel/Nominating Committee. When a committee continues to serve during the Convention, the delegate body must ratify its membership. Membership in committees established to consider resolutions at the convention will be open to all delegates who are not already members of another such committee.

Section 5.

National Conventions shall be held in different areas and regions of the country each time.

Section 6

Election of at-large members of the NOC shall take place at the National Convention under procedures set forth by the appropriate committee except that preferential voting will be used to elect at-large members of the NOC.

Section 7

The NOC may place items on the convention agenda by a ⅔ vote.

Article XIV. National Organizing Committee

The National Political Committee shall be responsible for organizing meetings of the National Organizing Committee, including but not limiting to selecting chairs, creating a process for NOC members to submit resolutions to be agendized, and providing reports to members of the activities of the NOC.

Article XV. Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended at a National Convention by a three-fifths vote of the delegates voting and present provided that written notice of such amendments has been given to members one month prior to the Convention. These Bylaws may also be amended by a ⅔ vote of the NOC at one of its quarterly meetings.

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#7: Hold All Leadership Elections by Single Transferable Vote

Authors: Moira M. (Buffalo)

Rationale:

In a fair and democratic electoral system, voters deserve proportional political and ideological representation reflective of the actual makeup of their constituencies.
Ranked choice voting has been adopted by several countries, most notably Ireland, where it has allowed left-wing parties like Sinn Féin and People Before Profit to secure parliamentary representation.
Ranked choice voting has been adopted by states and municipalities in the United States as a meaningful and winnable electoral reform that provides such an opportunity for proportional political and ideological representation.
Single Transferable Vote (STV) ranked choice voting was used to elect the DSA’s National Political Committee in 2019 and in leadership and convention delegate elections in many DSA Chapters.
Democratic Socialists of America leaves the selection of an election method for local officers, delegates to convention, committee chairs, and/or other officers to the discretion of local chapters.
Internal conflict or lack of experience within Democratic Socialists of America locals when choosing a voting system may distract from preparation duties that are vital to conducting a fair election.
Voting systems currently used by some Democratic Socialists of America locals, including Borda count and multi-member plurality, are flawed, vulnerable to manipulation, and unrepresentative.
The DSA can lead by example from within and educate members on electoral reform by eliminating the inefficient and inconsistent standard currently in place for the electoral processes of locals.
In fact, for this Convention, the NPC recognized the need for proportional representation within DSA and adopted STV as the only method chapters may use to elect their delegates.
Instant-runoff ranked choice voting and Single Transferable Vote are widely considered by specialists to be the most effective at encouraging sincere voting, the least vulnerable to manipulation or domination of a single ideology, and among the most representative electoral systems.
In single-winner elections, instant-runoff ranked choice voting reduces vote-splitting between like-minded candidates (also known as “the spoiler effect”) in a plurality count.
In a single-winner election, STV is equivalent to instant-runoff voting.
In multi-winner elections, STV yields proportional representation of a whole body, based on the strength of preference of its members.
Digital voting solutions are increasingly considered best practice in DSA elections, the necessary fees are a small price for the membership’s confidence in election results, and free tiers are available for small chapters.

Amended Language:

Democratic Socialists of America resolves to eliminate first-past-the-post and plurality voting at all levels of democratic organization, from government to groups like ours, in favor of ranked choice voting.

Amend Article VIII, Section 2 of the Constitution of Democratic Socialists of America to read:

Section 2.

The members of the NPC shall be one representative of the Youth Section and 16 delegates elected at the national convention. All NPC elections shall be conducted by Single Transferable Vote. Of the elected members, no more than eight shall be men and at least five shall be racial or national minority members of DSA. In the event that these minority positions are not filled at the Convention, the position(s) shall be filled by the NPC, except that only minority members of DSA may be elected to fill such vacancies. In case of other such vacancies, except a vacancy of the Youth Section Representative, the NPC shall appoint a member of the organization in good standing to serve until the next Convention. No person shall serve simultaneously on the National Staff and the NPC.

Amend Article VIII, Section 3 of the Constitution of Democratic Socialists of America to read:

 Section 3.

The National Political Committee shall elect a Steering Committee (SC) by Single Transferable Vote. It shall be constituted as follows:

It shall be composed of the five people who shall be elected by the NPC from among its at-large members, and the Youth Section representative to the NPC. It shall include no more than three men and at least one person of color. The National Director and the Youth Section Organizer shall be ex officio members, without vote, of the SC. The SC shall be responsible for decision-making between meetings of the NPC and for the supervision of all offices and staff of the organization. It shall be responsible for planning meetings and agendas for the NPC and for coordinating the work of the committees of the NPC.

A quorum of the SC shall be half of its voting members. It shall meet at least bimonthly, in person or by conference call.

In person meetings of the SC shall be open to all members of the organization. However, the SC may hold executive sessions if 60% of its members vote to do so in order to discuss personnel and related financial matters.

Create a new section of Article III of the Bylaws of Democratic Socialists of America, to be inserted after present Section 1:

Section 2.

Locals shall conduct all elections for chapter officers and delegates to National, Regional, and State bodies by secret ballot Single Transferable Vote. The de-identified ballots used to calculate the results will be sent out to the Locals’ members to verify election results.

Renumber present Article III, Section 2 of the Bylaws of Democratic Socialists of America to Section 3 and amend it to read:

 Section 3.

The NPC shall produce a Standard New Local Constitution by which all newly chartered Locals shall operate. New Locals shall elect leadership in accordance with the Standard New Local Constitution. The Local’s members may vote to ratify a new Constitution, at which time the Local shall submit to the National Office a file copy of their Constitution (and any subsequent changes therein). Such Constitution shall contain provisions which call for at least two meetings per year of the Local. It shall contain provisions for making constitutional amendments. It shall contain provisions for the election of officers of the Local. It shall contain provisions for the election of Officers of the Local and delegates to National, Regional, and State bodies by secret ballot Single Transferable Vote. It shall contain provisions for informing all members of meetings and procedures for the election of officers and delegates to National, Regional and State bodies and of decisions of the Local. Each Local shall submit to the National Office information about the financial status of the Local.

Renumber the remaining Sections of Article III.

Amend Article IV, Section 2 of the Bylaws of Democratic Socialists of America to read:

Section 2.

The Constitution for the State Organization shall include provisions for holding at least one state-wide meeting annually and for the election of Local representatives to the State Organization and for the election of officers. The Constitution shall also include provisions that elections for officers and Local representatives to the State Organization must be held by secret ballot Single Transferable Vote. Model Constitutions shall be available from the National Office. State Organizations shall submit changes in the Constitution and financial information to the National Office on a regular basis.

Amend Article IV, Section 4 of the Bylaws of Democratic Socialists of America to read:

Section 4.

The Constitution for the Regional Organization shall include provisions for the holding of at least one Regional meeting annually, for the potential establishment of subregions within the Regions, and for the election of officers and for the election of State and Local representatives to the State Organization. The Constitution shall also include provisions that elections for officers and Local representatives to the Regional Organization must be held by secret ballot Single Transferable Vote. Model Constitutions shall be available from the National Office. Regions shall submit changes in the Constitution and financial information to the National Office on a regular basis.

Amend Article V, Section 2 of the Bylaws of Democratic Socialists of America to read:

Section 2.

The Constitution of the Youth Section shall contain provisions for the holding of meetings, for the election of officers of the Section and for the election of representatives to the NPC. The Constitution shall also include provisions that elections for officers of the section, representatives to the NPC, and delegates to National convention must be held by secret ballot Single Transferable Vote. Changes in the Constitution and in-formation on the financial status of the Youth Section shall be submitted on a regular basis to the National Office.

Amend Article VI, Section 3 of the Bylaws of Democratic Socialists of America to read:

Section 3.

Elections of at-large delegates to the Convention shall be held under procedures established by the NPC, except that a motion for the use of the Hare system of proportional representation supported by 15% of those NPC members present and voting will require the use of the Hare system in at-large elections of Convention delegates. Locals may determine their own method of election of delegates to the Convention except that a petition from 10% of a Local’s membership or a motion supported by 15% of those present and voting at the Local meeting which determines the method of election will require the use of the Hare system in that Local’s election of delegates to the National Convention. Elections of at-large and Local representative delegates to National convention shall be held by secret ballot Single Transferable Vote.

Democratic Socialists of America resolves to provide resources for local chapters, including recommendations on how to prepare for and hold a Single Transferable Vote election.

National DSA will be required to adopt STV voting for their leadership elections by 12/31/2021.

For an orderly transition, existing DSA chapters, State and Regional Organizations, and Youth Sections will have until 2/28/2022 to adopt Single Transferable Voting.

New DSA chapters formed after passage of this amendment will implement STV from their creation.

A fund will be established to cover election costs for chapters who request assistance.

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#8: Defining the Role of DSA’s National Political Platform

Authors: Matthew S. (Madison), Alexander G. (Santa Cruz), Michael C. (Space Coast), Peter M. (Central New Jersey)

Rationale:

DSA is considering the adoption of a national political platform for the first time in recent history. Platforms and programs have historically played a very important role in defining the political principles and practice of socialist organizations. Defining this platform’s role clearly will give it greater meaning and practical relevance as the great goal of our work. Political unity based on a definite program is more durable than unity based on rigid dogma, so the political criterion for membership should be acceptance of the national political platform. If a national political platform is adopted at this convention, the DSA constitution ought to be amended in the following way.

Amended Language:

Article III, Section 1:

Membership shall be open to every person who subscribes to the principles accepts the national political platform of the organization. Acceptance does not mean agreement with every point of the platform, and members are free to organize within DSA to make specific changes to the platform. Rather, it means committing to fight for the platform as the overall expression of the movement’s aims.

Costing out by Staff and Budget & Finance Committee