New Orleans DSA is a democratically-run, all-volunteer organization of the working class, and every year we convene to elect officers, consider amendments to our bylaws, and debate member-submitted proposals for the coming year. In short, Convention is our most important annual gathering! Members can weigh in on chapter priorities and fully exercise their power to shape Chapter work for the coming year and beyond. This year our Convention will be held June 25th at 12PM. Don’t miss it!
Officer Elections
The following positions are up for election this year:
- Co-Chairs (2)
- Secretary
- Membership Chair
- Treasurer
- Treasurer Trustee (2)
- At-Large Council Members (2)
Find more detailed information about all the roles we’ll be electing this year here!
Proposals
The following resolutions will be considered during Convention (these require a 50%+ vote to be adopted):
The following Bylaw amendments will be considered (these require a 2/3rds majority vote):
| An Amendment to Incorporate the Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing in the Chapter Bylaws |
| Bylaws Amendment on Dissolution of Working Groups and Committees |
How To Attend
For those attending in person, the event will take place at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, located at 2903 Jefferson Avenue in New Orleans. In accordance with our standard operating procedures, we will be requiring everyone attending to wear masks, and would strongly urge that if you have had a recent covid exposure or are experiencing any symptoms, to please participate online.
For those attending online, you can register for the zoom meeting at dsausa.us/NewOrleans2022.
You can view the complete draft agenda of the meeting here.
Voting
Before anything else, make sure you’ve signed up for DSA before the start of Convention to ensure your eligibility to vote and participate! All members who are on record or can demonstrate (via an e-mail from National Office) that they’ve paid dues through June 25nd, 2022 and are in our Chapter’s geographic jurisdiction will have voting privileges on all proposals and elections. If you’re unsure of your membership status, please visit proof.dsausa.org, or email us at membership@dsaneworleans.org.
Proxy Voting: If you are unable to attend either in-person or via Zoom, you may identify another member to serve as your proxy. This member then votes on proposals and in elections according to your preferences. Attending members may hold up to two proxies. If you will be requesting a proxy, please notify us at hello@dsaneworleans.org by June 23rd with the name of another dues/paying member who will serve as your proxy. If you are unable to identify another member to name as your proxy, please let us know in a note to the above email address, and additional arrangements can be made to be sure your votes are cast.
Officer Elections: As last year, we will be holding officer election via software called OpaVote. You will receive your ballot via email when voting opens, along with periodic reminders to vote throughout the week.
We have prepared some information about using OpaVote, as well an explainer about our vote counting method:
Proposals: Resolutions and Bylaw Amendments will be voted on at the Convention: in-person attendees may vote by raising a voting card you will receive during your check-in; virtual attendees may vote in the #voting channel of our Chapter Slack, as we do doing virtual-only General Meetings.