This FAQ will be updated regularly. Don’t see your question here? You can submit it here.

CONVENTION

• What are the dates for the Convention?

• Convention will run from the morning of Friday, August 4 through the early afternoon of Sunday August 6. Important note: Friday will be a full day of programming and deliberation, so delegates and alternates should arrive on Thursday, August 3.

• Where will the Convention be held?

• The Convention will be held at an accessible convention center connected to a union hotel in Chicago, IL. We will provide the specific location in our internal communications, but we ask that the location is not shared publicly for security reasons. DSA has a discounted room block in the hotel and will provide a booking link to delegates and alternates.

LOGISTICS/ACCESSIBILITY

• What are the accessibility options for delegates?

• Venue details

• The event will be hosted at a convention center where all meeting spaces utilized will be accessible. The venue offers a number of accessibility options, including elevators, ramps, accessible bathrooms, accessible parking, accessible first aid stations, and assisted hearing devices. Venue also offers a preferred vendor for wheelchairs, mobility scooters, power chairs, and oxygen equipment rentals. Upon request, we can provide a link to the venue’s accessibility services webpage, which also links to a map, directions, parking, amenities, and more.

• Additional accessibility accommodations

• We will ask for accessibility requests in the registration form, so that we can work with you to meet your specific requirements. Please contact us if you have specific accessibility questions at any time. Accessibility requests must be received no later than the registration deadline, which is July 13, 2023.

• What accommodations will be made for delegates with children?

• We will ask for child watch requests in the registration form and provide child watch for any delegate or alternate who needs it. Child watch requests must be received no later than the registration deadline, which is July 13, 2023.

• What is the COVID policy?

• We take the threat of COVID-19 transmission very seriously and are taking the following precautions to minimize the risk of spread at Convention:

• ALL attendees, speakers, volunteers and staff are required to provide proof of full COVID vaccination.
• ALL attendees, speakers, volunteers and staff will be required to submit a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the beginning of the Convention. At-home tests are allowed as long as they have a timestamp to prove they’ve been taken within 72 hours of the first day of the event.
• Masks will be required at the Convention at all times, except during meals and only in the meal space. To-go containers will be available for attendees who prefer to eat outside.

• Will dietary requirements be met?

• Yes, we will collect everyone’s dietary requirements in the registration form and provide them to the caterer in advance. Dietary requirements must be received no later than the registration deadline, which is July 13, 2023.

• Will there be language services for people that can't speak English?

• Yes, there are funds budgeted for Spanish interpretation. We will ask for interpretation requests in the registration form. Interpretation requests must be received no later than the registration deadline, which is July 13, 2023.

• I know that convention agendas have been pretty crammed in the past and that we’ve struggled to fit everything in. What is the rationale for shortening Convention duration this year to 3 days?

• Convention has always typically been 3 days. 2021 was an exception since it was entirely virtual, and the Convention Committee was able to have programming spread out across an entire week.

DELEGATES/ALTERNATES

• How many delegates will there be from each chapter?

• Delegates will be apportioned on Wednesday, March 15th. The delegate number will be emailed to chapters on Friday, March 17th. Apportionment will be based on a ratio of ONE delegate for every 75 members, plus ONE alternate for every 10 delegates. Every chapter will receive at least one delegate and at least one alternate.

• How will rounding work for assigning delegates?

• All chapters automatically receive 1 delegate and 1 alternate regardless of how many members they have. After the first 75 members, a chapter will receive one delegate per 75 members. In instances where the number of constitutional members divided by 75 would result in a fraction (Ex: 270 members / 75 = 3.6), the number is rounded to the nearest whole number. Another example, 400 members / 75 = 5.3, and is rounded down to the nearest whole number of 5 delegates.

• Will there be financial aid provided for delegates?

• There will be scholarship funds available to all delegates who need it. Scholarship funds will be distributed based on need and distance traveled. It is expected that scholarships will supplement but not cover all costs, so delegates and chapters should be expected to fundraise to cover costs. There will also be guidance shared on how chapters can fundraise for their delegations.

• What role will YDSA play in the convention?

• YDSA will have its own Convention at the same venue in the two days before the DSA Convention on Wednesday, August 2 and Thursday, August 3. YDSA members are DSA members and able to run as a delegate to both YDSA and DSA conventions.

• Who can attend the Convention? I'm an at-large member.

• All members in good standing can run for delegate and vote for delegates to the Convention. At-large members will have an election administered by National where at-large members can nominate themselves and vote on a delegation of at-large members. A call for at-large delegate nominations will happen on or before April 4, and a ballot will go out to at-large members on or before May 18. More info on at-large elections can be found here.

• Is the 1 to 75 ratio for delegates counted as members in good standing?

• Apportionment will include both members in good standing and constitutional members, which is a member up to 1 year arrears in dues.

• Can you clarify the role of alternates?

• Alternates also attend the Convention and are responsible for filling in as delegates if a delegate needs to take a break or can’t make part of the proceedings.

• Are there quota requirements for delegates’s (% non-men, % BIPOC, etc)?

• There are no quota requirements for delegates to the national Convention. Chapters may decide to use quotas for their respective elections.

• If there are at-large delegates, how does that work if they are counted toward the chapter membership totals according to zip codes?

• Members who live in zip codes claimed by chapters must request to be considered at-large by February 28th.

• What does “request deadline” mean for at-large? How is it different from nominations?

• This is for members to request to be considered At-Large ahead of the 2023 Convention. The deadline was February 28, 2023.

RESOLUTIONS/PLATFORM

• How can we introduce resolutions?

• Resolutions could be submitted via a form linked on the Proposals page on the 2023 DSA Convention website.

• How many signatures/co-signers are required to submit a resolution to the convention?

• 300 signatures from members in good standing is the threshold for submitting resolutions to the Convention.

• Is there a date we need to have our resolutions submitted by?

• Yes, resolution submissions opened on Monday, February 20, 2023 and closed on Friday, April 14, 2023. Amendments to resolutions will opened shortly after the resolutions deadline and closec on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.

• Will people working on similar resolutions be put in touch so that they can combine efforts rather than push competing versions of the same thing?

• Yes, per the Convention rules, the Resolutions and Platform Committee may combine similar proposals or encourage authors to do so, including by treating a proposal as an amendment to a related proposal where appropriate.

• How many resolutions will be voted on?

• The set number of resolutions will be recommended by the Convention Resolutions & Platform Subcommittee for approval by the Convention Steering Committee.

• Will there be another platform draft up for debate or amendments to the platform at all?

• Proposed amendments to the DSA Political Platform could be submitted via the Proposals form by April 14, 2023.

• Is it 300 signatures to amend the platform too?

• Yes, it is 300 signatures from members in good standing for all types of proposals and amendments.

• Can resolutions be signed by multiple chapters?

• Resolution authors are strongly encouraged to reach out to members of other chapters nationally to organize support.

• What resolutions have been successfully implemented from the 2021 Convention? What resolutions have not been implemented and what have the roadblocks been?

• This will be outlined in the NPC’s End of Year report. (Will be linked once available)

• Can individual members put forward any number of resolutions in addition to those put forward by working groups/priority bodies?

• Members can propose resolutions as long as they have 300 signatures from members in good standing. Due to time constraints, every resolution will not reach the floor. In the past, delegates have voted on what resolutions are debated.

• What is the best way to gather signatures for a resolution? Is it okay to just have people sign directly onto a google doc?

• A common practice for past Conventions is collecting signatures via Google Form linked on the proposal doc. It’s extremely important to remind your signees to use their DSA membership email, because membership checks will be done on all proposals and signatures submitted. We require you to collect the following items: full member name, DSA membership email, and chapter.

ELECTIONS

• Will we be using Borda?

• An NPC voting method has not yet been recommended by the Voting & Elections Subcommittee. Once this recommendation happens, however, the voting method will be subject to delegate approval at Convention.

• Is there a required voting method for chapter delegate elections? Clarification: STV was the required voting method in 2021.

• There is not a required voting method for chapter delegate elections in the 2023 Convention rules.

• What should I do if I have a question about delegate credentials or want to challenge the delegate election that took place in my chapter?

• The Rules & Credentials Committee will be handling challenges to delegate elections and credentialing.  If you have a question/issue, email credentials@dsacommittees.org. You can also send questions about Convention Rules to that email address.

MISC

• Will the slides from the 1/26 pre-convention call be sent out after this ends?

• Yes, you can find the slides here, and you can find the video of the call here.

• What is the tabling policy (i.e., can caucuses table)?

• The tabling policy will be decided once the Convention Committee has assessed the available space.