Boston DSA Chapter STructure

Boston DSA operates as a membership organization with internal democracy. Internal democracy means our members:

• Elect leadership of the chapter, working groups, committees, and neighborhood groups. The Coordinating Committee and the Harassment and Grievance Officers are elected every spring. Working groups, committees, and regional branches and neighborhood groups typically elect co-chairs or an Organizing Committee every six months, although this may vary from group to group.

• Make electoral endorsements with a 60% majority of the chapter. DSA members and other candidates on the left have sought Boston DSA's endorsement because they know that our field organizing program brings analysis and strategy, votes, and power.

• Amend bylaws and pass policies within the chapter. Bylaw revisions require a two-thirds majority to pass. Policies, such as the code of conduct and the Harassment and Grievance procedure, require 50%. 

• Vote to send delegates to the national DSA convention. National DSA holds conventions every other year, usually the summer of odd-numbered years. Each chapter has a delegation proportional to its size, and Boston DSA will hold internal elections for members to select our chapter's delegates.

Typically, these elections happen either through online voting (using a platform called OpaVote) or live at a General Meeting (using a platform called OpenSlides). New members need to either attend the General Meeting or have been members for at least thirty days to participate in online voting following a General Meeting. Debate and voting in our meetings are governed by Robert's Rules of Order, an old but widely used system of parliamentary procedure.

For more on the structure of the chapter, you can read through our Chapter Bylaws on our website. The bylaws are the most authoritative set of rules at the chapter level, and any changes to the bylaws must be voted on by the whole chapter.