Bylaws Updates (Democracy Commission Compliance)

Summary: DSA’s Democracy Commission is requiring that all DSA chapters update their bylaws to be consistent with national DSA’s new requirements. The following changes bring RI DSA into compliance and also standardize our voting procedures so that the highest decision-maker is always the general body meeting.

Changes in bold:

ARTICLE III — Membership

Section C — Membership Rights

The membership as a corporate body is the sovereign authority in Rhode Island DSA, the bylaws express its will and it elects as delegates the officers. Each member has the right to attend and participate in official Rhode Island DSA meetings and public events, and to communicate with other DSA members on an online platform run by the Chapter. Each member has the right to speak in meetings, within the bounds, to be determined by the membership and enforced by moderators, of equitable, inclusive, and democratic discussion. Each member has the right to propose action items and amendments to the bylaws, and to vote on such decisions, provided the member is an Eligible Voter as defined in Section E.

Section E — Eligible Voters

“Eligible Voters” include anyone who is within the membership location as defined by Section D, has been a member of National DSA for at least 30 days, has not been removed from membership by the Chapter or marked “lapsed” on dues by National DSA, and meets the following requirement:

  • Effective December 2023, mMembers shall remain Eligible Voters if they have participated in at least 2 Rhode Island DSA activities within the past 365 days. Qualifying activities are: attending one of the Chapter’s monthly general body meetings, attending one of the Chapter’s committee meetings, volunteering for a committee, volunteering at an event organized by the Chapter, attending an educational event, attending a new member orientation, and attending strike support organized by the Chapter. The Membership Coordinators along with all committee chairs are responsible for guaranteeing that attendance is recorded. Membership Coordinators are also expected to communicate participation requirements to membership and inform members when their voting status is in jeopardy.

Section F — Membership Removal

A member may be removed from membership by submitting a letter of resignation, or for the following reasons:

a. Harassing another member or having a documented history of violence or harassment;

b. Advocating illegal violence or terrorism;

c. Disrupting meetings;

d. Deliberate or persistent violations of any part of the Code of Conduct;

e. Substantial disagreement with the Chapter’s Core Principles;

f. Possessing a material conflict of interest with the Chapter’s active campaigns.

If a member is to be removed from membership for any reason other than their resignation, the member shall be notified in writing immediately by the Executive Committee after a two-thirds majority of the Executive Committee votes to remove the member. The member shall be notified of their right to appeal their removal and defend themselves in front of the membership during a special meeting. They shall only be removed following a two-thirds vote of Eligible Voters present at the defense. The member must let the Executive Committee know if they are going to appeal within 2 weeks of the date of notification. If the member chooses to appeal, they may not attend Chapter events until the defense. The defense must be scheduled no later than 2 months out from the date of notification.

In addition to the right of the Executive Committee to remove members, Chapter committee chairs also reserve the right to temporarily bar anyone whom they judge has met the standard for membership removal from their respective committee meetings until the next meeting of the Executive Committee, where the member’s removal will be voted on.

  1. Any barring must be communicated both to the barred party as well as the Executive Committee as soon as such a decision is made.

  2. An individual may only be barred from a given committee once. After that, the committee chair must go through the formal member removal process.

If a member is removed from the Chapter for reasons of political disagreement, the justification must be shared with the general body.

ARTICLE IV — Dues and Financial Support

Annual dues shall be paid to the DSA National office. Members may also choose to contribute funds directly to the Rhode Island DSA. In the event that the Chapter dissolves, all assets must be surrendered to National DSA.

ARTICLE VI — Meetings

Section B — Notice, Agenda, and Moderation

The Executive Committee must give 14 days’ notice for official meetings to all Rhode Island DSA members through email, Rhode Island DSA’s current web page, and applicable social media outlets. The Executive Committee must also determine and distribute an agenda for an official meeting to all Rhode Island DSA members with at least 5 days’ notice. The Executive Committee is responsible for moderating official meetings or delegating such moderation, and ensuring an equitable, open and inclusive discussion. Any Eligible Voter may propose items for discussion, which may be added to the agenda by a majority vote of Eligible Voters in attendance. The Executive Committee must ensure that minutes of the meeting are recorded, including attendance, quorum, and votes, and submit this information to National DSA.

ARTICLE VII — Executive Committee

Section B — Officer Roles

The Co-Chairs are responsible for ensuring that announcements for upcoming meetings are made to DSA members with sufficient advance notice, preparing meeting agendas, facilitating meetings, and other organizational tasks. Working with and informing the Executive Committee, they serve as Rhode Island DSA spokespeople and liaisons to YDSA chapters and outside organizations. They organize the Executive Committee as a leadership body between official meetings.

The Membership Coordinators are responsible for managing and updating the Chapter’s email list, verifying members’ status with the national office, welcoming and orienting new members, and developing and implementing a program of membership recruitment.

The Secretary shall take notes at general body meetings and Executive Committee meetings, and submit the general body meeting minutes to National DSA. The Secretary shall maintain the organization’s calendar and update the website. 

The Treasurer is responsible for establishing a Chapter bank account, and for the proper accounting of funds collected and disbursed, including providing regular (no greater than at least every three months) updates on fund balances and expenditures to the membership. The Treasurer must annually publish a budget for members to review, and provide financial records to National DSA when needed. At the request of both Co-Chairs, the Treasurer must deliver a full report on Chapter finances within two weeks of notification. 

At least one member of the Executive Committee must attend a monthly check-in with National DSA.

Section F — Expenditures

Expenditures of Chapter funds must be consistent with Rhode Island DSA’s stated goals and objectives. Expenditures of $50 to $500 must be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Committee and must be reported to the membership at the next official Chapter meeting. Expenditures greater than $500 must be brought to a general body meeting for a vote. Any payments to employees, vendors, or contractors of the Chapter must also be approved by the general body. Executive Committee members shall be permitted to spend amounts of less than $50 in the support of routine Chapter activities (e.g. refreshments for a meeting) without seeking prior approval; these expenditures must be reported to the Executive Committee and that body has the right to restrict or regulate members’ future spending if deemed excessive or inappropriate (by a majority vote).

Section I — Election Procedure

Only Eligible Voters may run for or hold seats on the Executive Committee. Executive Committee candidates are nominated by Chapter members and must present themselves for questions at a meeting open to membership. In cases of contested races, elections will be conducted by secret ballot (single transferable vote). During the meeting, ballots shall be sent to all Eligible Voters in attendance. via email, with voting open for 7 days. Where a candidate runs unopposed, simple acclamation by Eligible Voters at the meeting suffices. Candidates for the Executive Committee may not run their own elections. New leadership must be reported to National DSA within 30 days of the election.

ARTICLE VIII — Amendment

These bylaws may be amended or replaced with the approval of a two-thirds majority of the Eligible Voters at a general body meeting following the process described in Article VI. Chapter bylaws may not conflict with the bylaws of National DSA, and amendments shall be shared with the DSA national office.

ARTICLE XIII — National Convention

Every two years, during an open meeting advertised to all members, Eligible Voters of Rhode Island DSA shall select delegates to attend the DSA National Convention. Voting shall take place by Scottish single transferable vote. Only Eligible Voters may run for delegate.