Assembly of Locals 2.0
An Amendment to the DSA Constitution + Bylaws
By Joho (Silicon Valley) and Erika P (Lincoln). Support AOL at assembly.online.
Questions? Contact @joho on the DSA forums.
Ask a DSA member about “DSA National,” and, as with anything in DSA, you’ll get a variety of responses. Many in DSA simply don’t think about National—it has little to do with their local work. Some are frustrated with decisions being made. Some assume things will naturally improve once our “growing pains” subside. But DSA was never structured to be an organization of this size, with hundreds of locals in such disparate terrain. Currently, the 16-person NPC has a wide range of duties, from issuing political statements to overseeing finances to planning conventions. But the weakness of the NPC structure isn’t simply that there’s too much work for 16 people, but that decision-making power does not belong to the people most affected by those decisions.
As socialists we should be ambitious. We must develop radical democracy by practicing it.
This amendment restructures National to redistribute power to the locals. A new body, the Assembly of Locals, becomes the center for political decision-making, with representatives elected by each chapter, leaving the NPC (now simply called the Board) to focus on key fiduciary and administrative duties.
Our vision is of a national organization that’s not just “responsive” to membership but is membership. We hope to build democracy and develop leaders by giving members in every chapter the opportunity to get their hands dirty and create a more effective national organization.
BE IT RESOLVED that the Constitution and Bylaws of DSA are amended to substitute “Board” for “National Political Committee” or “NPC”, except where otherwise specified below; and
BE IT RESOLVED that the Articles of the Constitution and Bylaws titled “National Conventions” and “Commissions” (Constitution Articles V and X; Bylaws Articles VI and XI) are amended to substitute “Assembly” for “NPC”, except where otherwise specified below; and
BE IT RESOLVED that the Constitution and Bylaws of DSA are amended as follows, but that existing powers and duties of the NPC shall remain with the Board until April 1, 2020 or as soon thereafter as a majority of allocated members are seated.
👉 Strike Constitution Articles VII (“Natl. Activist Conference”) and IX (“Natl. Advisory Committee”); Bylaws Article XIII (“Polls”); and the Sections referring to a National Chair: Section 6 of Constitution Article VI (“Officers and Staff”), and Section 1 of Bylaws Article VII (“Officers”).
👉 In the Constitution, insert new Article VII as follows.
The Assembly of Locals (or “Assembly”) shall be the highest political decision-making body of DSA between meetings of the Convention. Its authority shall include, but not be limited to, making formal statements on behalf of DSA, maintaining training and political education programs, overseeing Commissions and similar bodies, and overseeing the Board.
The Bylaws shall further detail the mandates of this Article.
The members of the Assembly shall be delegates elected by the general membership of each Local, by members-at-large, and by members of the Youth Section.
Apportionment of delegates shall occur annually. Representation of Locals shall be proportional by membership, but each Local shall be apportioned at least one delegate. Members-at-large shall be apportioned delegates as if constituting one or more Locals. Members of the Youth Section shall be apportioned 10% of delegates.
The Assembly may remove a delegate by a two-thirds vote for reasons given in the Bylaws. Members shall be able to recall the delegates representing them.
In addition to their duties in the Assembly proper, delegates shall serve as liaisons between their Locals (or other constituency) and the National Organization.
The Assembly shall primarily make decisions via asynchronous electronic voting. However, the Assembly may schedule meetings by an asynchronous vote and 14 days’ notice.
The Assembly shall have Committees, which shall meet regularly and may make decisions at a meeting or via asynchronous electronic voting. All decisions by a Committee of the Assembly are subject to appeal to the full Assembly.
Quorum for meetings or asynchronous votes by the Assembly shall be a majority of seated members. Quorum for meetings or asynchronous votes of a Committee shall be a majority.
Meetings of the Assembly or a Committee may be held by conference call. The National organization shall provide the Assembly with sufficient tools and resources for it to operate, including video conference and online voting software.
The Assembly may create standing rules and other procedures necessary or helpful to fulfill its duties, if consistent with this Constitution and the Bylaws.
👉 In the Bylaws, insert new Article X as follows.
Any member in good standing may run for Assembly delegate (i) to represent their Local, if they are a member of a Local; (ii) to represent members-at-large, if they are not a member of a Local; or (iii) to represent the Youth Section, if they are a Youth Section member.
Assembly delegates shall be elected annually after apportionment is calculated, but no later than March 1. Delegates shall serve a one-year term beginning on April 1. Locals shall administer their own elections. The Board shall administer at-large and Youth Section elections. Elections for more than one delegate shall use the Single Transferable Vote system. The body administering the election may adopt reasonable variations, such as a quota for members who are not cis men, or elections on a per-branch basis.
Apportionment of delegates shall be based on the membership of DSA as of the beginning of each calendar year. Apportionment of delegates to Locals shall be set as follows:
To administer the at-large elections, the Board shall draw contiguous districts that will each be represented by approximately five delegates per the formula above.
The Youth Section shall be apportioned 10% of seats. To administer the election, the Board shall draw contiguous districts of approximately equal Youth Section membership.
Apportionment and districts shall be announced by the Board by January 15.
The Assembly may remove members for malfeasance or nonfeasance, behavior contrary to the principles or policies of the organization, or if they consistently engage in undemocratic, disruptive behavior.
Locals may specify their own processes for recalling their Assembly delegate(s) in their local Constitution. Otherwise, the membership may recall their delegate(s) by a simple majority vote at a meeting. A recall referendum for at-large or Youth Section delegates shall be held upon petition by 2% of at-large or Youth Section members in the district.
Vacancies shall be filled by special election and open nomination as soon as feasible.
Members of the Assembly shall regularly provide reports to and solicit feedback from the general membership of their constituency. Locals may bind their delegates’ votes on specific items by a general membership vote.
The Assembly shall have Standing and Ad-Hoc Committees; shall elect such committees using the Single Transferable Vote system; and shall fill vacancies by a majority vote.
The Standing Committees of the Assembly shall be the following:
Each Standing Committee shall have 15 elected members. Newly elected Assembly members shall apply to Standing Committees by March 15.
The Assembly may create Ad-Hoc Committees. The authorizing motion shall specify the Committee’s purpose, size, and end date, as well as who may apply for membership. Ad-Hoc Committees shall only be open to members in good standing of DSA.
Two members of each Committee shall serve as co-chairs. No one may serve on more than one Standing Committee or more than one Ad-Hoc Committee at the same time.
The Assembly shall approve the annual budget as drafted by the Board, commencing a vote within 14 days of submission. If approval fails, the Board shall solicit feedback from all Assembly members and provide a revised draft. If approval fails again, the Assembly shall pass a budget within 30 days or the revised draft by the Board automatically takes effect.
The Assembly shall make decisions via asynchronous electronic voting on a platform chosen by the EC. The Assembly shall adopt rules for this process, including the following:
All meetings of the Assembly and its committees, and all minutes of such meetings, and records of all asynchronous votes, shall be published to the membership of DSA. Individual members’ votes or abstentions shall be reflected in the record.
If a Local is apportioned a single delegate but has not elected one, that Local may, by general membership vote, designate another Local as a proxy, provided that delegates from the receiving Local do not ultimately carry more than 3 votes. The proxy shall only apply to votes of the Assembly, not its Committees, and may be rescinded at any time.
👉 Amend the DSA Constitution by adding the bolded parts and striking the indicated parts.
National Conventions shall be held at least biennially. Special National Conventions may be called by a two-thirds vote of the Assembly three-fourths vote of the National Political Committee or by petition…
Calls to the National Convention shall be issued by the NPC Assembly at least 100 days prior to the opening date of the Convention. Calls to Special National Conventions shall be issued by the Assembly at least 45 days prior to the opening date. Calls to Special Conventions shall be issued by the petition calling such Convention, providing that the date is set between 30 and 60 days from the issuing of the call.
The duties of the officers shall include the following:
The National Political Committee (NPC) National Board (or simply the Board) shall be the collective leadership organization’s fiduciary board of directors and the highest main administrative decision-making body of the organization between meetings of the Convention, responsible for staff, finances, legal matters, grievances, and other administrative matters. The Board is subject to oversight by the Assembly as laid out in the Bylaws. It shall meet at least four times a year.
[...] In the event that these minority positions are not filled at the Convention, the position(s) shall be filled by the NPC Assembly, 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 Assembly shall appoint a member of the organization in good standing to serve until the next Convention. No person shall serve simultaneously on the Board and either the Assembly or the National Staff and the NPC.
The at-large members of the NPC shall act as liaisons to the Commissions and the Regional, State and Local organizations as prescribed by the Bylaws. The NPC shall have responsibility for staff, finances, publications, and education.
An NPC A Board member may be removed for malfeasance or nonfeasance by a two-thirds vote of the NPC Board, with nonfeasance defined to include unexcused absences from two or more consecutive meetings. A Board member may also be removed for any reason by a two-thirds vote of the Assembly according to the procedures prescribed in the Bylaws.
👉 Amend the DSA Bylaws by adding the bolded parts and striking the indicated parts.
The National Convention, or should it not choose to act on this matter, the NPC Board, shall determine procedures for the collection of dues and contributions and the sharing of same between the Local and National Organizations. Such procedures shall be subject to review and revision by the Assembly.
The NPC Assembly or the National Convention shall produce a Standard New Local Constitution by which all newly chartered Locals shall operate. New Locals…
Elections of at-large delegates to the Convention shall be held under procedures established by the NPC Assembly, except that a motion petition for the use of the Hare system of proportional representation supported by 15% of those NPC members present and voting Assembly delegates will require the use of the Hare system in at-large elections of Convention delegates. Locals…
The NPC Assembly may establish committees to serve prior to and during the Convention. Except the Convention Planning Committee, these committees shall be open to application by any member in good standing. These committees shall include at least one member of the NPC 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…
In addition to duties described in the Constitution, one of the officers of the organization shall preside as temporary chair at the National Convention and NPC Board meetings until permanent chairs are chosen. One of the officers shall represent the organization at meetings of other organizations. Additional duties may be prescribed by the NPC.
The NPC Board shall hire no more than two National Directors, who shall be responsible for the functioning of the National Office(s) and staff, shall report on staff activities to the National Convention and the Assembly, and shall have specific duties as prescribed by the NPC Board. An announcement…
The at-large members of the NPC Board shall work with the appropriate staff persons to ensure the completion of administrative duties and responsibilities. be liaisons to the Commissions, Regions, State and Local Organizations. They shall facilitate the relationship between the National Organization and those groups. They shall work with the appropriate staff persons in carrying out these responsibilities.
The agendas for the NPC Board meetings will be proposed by the SC. These shall include, on a regular basis, discussion and supervision of staff, finances, legal matters, and other administrative work. publications, education, general political direction and coalition work. The Ombuds Committee of the Assembly may also place issues on the agenda for a Board or SC meeting.
… They will include: [...]
3. Editorial Boards for the general publications of the organization which will supervise and edit these publications. [...]
Election of at-large members of the NPC Board shall take place at the National Convention under procedures set forth by the Nominating/Personnel Committee of the Assembly except that preferential voting will be used to elect at-large members of the NPC Board.
The Ombuds Committee of the Assembly may recommend the removal of a Board member for any reason. The full Assembly shall be provided one month's notice of the vote, and no less than one week before the vote begins shall be provided the majority's written justification for its recommendation, any dissenting opinions from the Committee, and any statement that the Board member in question wishes to provide. Removal requires a two-thirds vote of the Assembly.
Commissions may be chartered by the Assembly NPC upon a motion by a member of the NPC or by petition of 10 members of the organization. Commissions…
There shall be a DSA outreach publication that members shall receive free of charge. Other literature may be published as directed by the Assembly.
There shall be two general and regular publications of the organization. These shall be an outreach publication and a discussion bulletin. Members shall receive the outreach publication and may receive the discussion bulletin for a fee above dues set by the NPC, which fee shall be lower for members paying low-income dues set by the NPC than for members paying regular dues. Subscriptions may be available to non-members for a fee set by the NPC. Commissions may publish other bulletins as approved by the NPC. Other literature, including pamphlets and brochures, may be published as directed by the NPC.
The NPC, in consultation with the Managing Editor and the Editorial Board, Assembly may appoint one or more editors-in-chief of the general outreach publication. The NPC Assembly will be responsible for the editorial supervision of all publications, except insofar as related to legal issues supervised by the Board. Editorial responsibility for the general outreach publication and the discussion bulletin shall be determined by the NPC as described in Article X, Section 3 of the Bylaws Assembly.
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