2026 Member Convention Bulletin

Issue #6 - Tuesday, May 19th, 2026

Notice: Bylaws Revision Submitted for Convention

Our chapter’s Local Democracy Commission (LDC) has submitted a Revision of Chicago DSA’s Bylaws. A Bylaws Revision differs from a Bylaw Amendment in that it is a full-scale rewrite of the Bylaws. You can find the full text of the LDC’s proposed Revision here. 

Since this is a Bylaws Revision, it is in order for members at Convention to consider the revision by paragraph and to propose amendments, whether additive, subtractive, or fully substitutive. As the process of going line by line to review the Revisions and handling amendments from the floor would be very time consuming and potentially chaotic, we will be proposing a Special Rule for the Convention requiring Revision Amendments to be submitted in advance through the form linked here, similar to the existing process we use for handling amendments to resolutions. As with amendments to resolutions, the deadline for submitting Bylaws Revision Amendments will be due Friday, May 29th. 

We encourage members to discuss the LDC Revision and potential amendments over the coming weeks as we approach the Convention. 

Nominations Open for 2026-2027 Chicago DSA Officers

Nominations are now open for Chapter Officer elections for the 2026-2027 term! Nominate yourself at the form here. The positions open for nominations are:

• Co-Chair (2)

• Secretary

• Treasurer

• Political Education Coordinator

• Communications Coordinator

• Campaigns Coordinator

• Membership Engagement Coordinator
  
  

Find detailed descriptions and responsibilities of each officer position here. Chapter officers will serve one-year terms running from July 1st 2026 to June 30th 2027.

Self-nominations will be accepted for all open positions until 11:59:59pm on May 24th. If you have comrades that you think would be a good officer candidate, please reach out to them and encourage them to nominate themselves. Any Chicago DSA Member in Good Standing who has been a member for at least four months may stand for election. To nominate yourself for an open EC Officer position fill out this form. Only self nominations will be accepted. You will need to complete a conflict of interest form and have at least 1 member who will "second" your nomination, both as part of the nomination form itself.

A roster of Officer Candidates including candidate information and statements will be released on Tuesday, May 26th to all Members in Good Standing. However, this roster will not be finalized until the June convention, at which point motions may be put forward to add nominees, such as in the case of uncompetitive elections or contests without any candidates. Such motions shall be debatable and will require a simple majority to be adopted. If any additional candidates are added, they will be asked to submit a candidate statement and other information within 48 hours of the convention’s adjournment in order for a final roster of Officer Candidates to be released as soon as possible.

***Please note that there are proposals to amend the bylaws that are anticipated to be debated and voted on at the June Chapter Convention. The outcome of those votes may change the formation of the Executive Committee, such as reducing the number of people on the body or changing what officer positions exist/are elected by membership. Nominations and elections for non-officer EC positions will begin at a later date as their term begins August 1st.

In solidarity,

Internal Elections Committee

Convention Updates 

Convention is 18 days away and we have two major deadlines this week, with resolutions due Friday and Chapter Officer election nominations closing on Sunday. Additionally, the first draft agenda for the convention will be released this coming Saturday. 

Important Deadlines to Remember:

• Saturday, May 16th: Bylaw amendments due

• Sunday, May 17th: Officer nominations open

• Friday, May 22nd: Resolutions due

• Saturday, May 23rd: Draft agenda released

• Sunday May 24th: Officer nominations close

• Tuesday, May 26th: Officer candidates announced

• Friday, May 29th: Amendments due

• Saturday, May 30th: Revised agenda released

Key Links:

• Proposal submission form

• Amendment submission form

• Officer Election Nomination Form

• Volunteer sign up form

• RSVP form

• Microsite with all info

Member Submissions 

Sveta S, Southside Branch, Bread & Roses Caucus

Responding to prompt from Bulletin #5

The 2025 DSA National Convention voted to make Workers Deserve More (platform.dsausa.org/) the official program of our organization and kicked off a democratic process for updating it. Our program concisely articulates a slate of ‘non-reformist’ reforms that we’re fighting for in the short term. Winning any of these demands would require a profound social transformation and level of organization that would set the stage for bolder demands yet. In my opinion, the program is one of our most important tools for making a strategic intervention in the 2028 Democratic primary. No matter who is on the ballot, how can we ensure that our demands are at the center of the debate? 

I would be excited to see AOC run for President in 2028 because it would provide an avenue to spotlight our program while millions of people are paying attention.  I have reservations about AOC as a politician and I think that we should be realistic that her candidacy would represent a far broader — and far more contradictory — constituency than DSA. This would not be a “cadre campaign” of the type that we’ve prioritized building over the years (and rightly so). 

If AOC runs, I believe DSA should run an Independent Expenditure campaign (where there is no formal coordination with the candidate) similar to the DSA for Bernie campaign in 2020. This way we could position our organization independently, with our message and our platform front and center. We could connect our DSA for AOC campaign to our support for DSA cadre candidates in other races and build on the affinity group model we’ve piloted during the Byron campaign, helping us solidify a distinctive identity and broaden our base. Two things that are crucial foundations for an independent party, whether AOC is onboard with that idea or not. 

Have thoughts on one of this week’s Member Submissions? 

Submit a reply using the form here. 

Prompt for discussion, week 6

Our chapter’s current priorities are contesting for state power, labor, and party-building as outlined in resolutions adopted in December 2025 and March 2026. 

Should these continue to be our chapter’s priorities? And if so, what should that priority work look like in the next year? For the latter question, please focus on one of three priorities (or another area of work you think should be a priority instead).

Submit a response using the Bulletin Submission Form linked here. Member Responses for this Prompt will be published in next week’s Convention Bulletin. Please try to submit responses no later than Sunday evening every week.

Member Replies

Brian Y, Northside Blue Line Branch, Marxist Unity Group 

Responding to Lyra S’s submission from Bulletin #5

I feel compelled to write a response to Lyra’s submission from last week regarding the question of AOC running for president due to one line in her submission; that being “If AOC should run, National DSA should endorse her. If National declines, Chicago DSA should endorse her.”. This suggestion that the Chicago chapter should endorse a candidate for president if National DSA decides against it strikes me as being localistic in the extreme and as running counter to the idea of a national political party in being. This line of reasoning could result in a scenario where when one fails to get their motions passed at the national level that they can instead push for it at a local level, even when it is a national project! 

While I have in the previous outlined my view on the question of endorsing AOC (in short I think that it is more of a question of how we engage with such an endorsement rather than the endorsement itself) I think that the final place for such a decision is at the National Convention next year, not to the disparate arenas of local chapters. To follow the scenario Lrya suggests could result in one chapter endorsing one presidential candidate while a different chapter endorses another. Such a scenario, in my opinion, would weaken the unity of our organization. 

My vision of what DSA should be is of a party that prioritizes nation-wide struggles in a democratic manner where each member is able to take part and take the lead on the pressing questions of the day. The notion of individual chapters endorsing a presidential candidate runs strongly against such a vision so I would be heartily against such a motion if it would be put to us.

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