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 24th at 12PM at the John Thomas Legacy Center, 1212 St Bernard Ave. Don’t miss it!
Important Dates
- We’ll be having a pre-Convention tailgate following our General Meeting May 28th! If you’d like to meet current officers, ask questions about running for DSA positions or submitting proposals, or just hang out, please join us!
- Submit your bylaw amendments, political resolutions, and electoral endorsements to hello@dsaneworleans.org by June 17th. We also encourage members to post submitted or draft proposals to the #amendments-and-resos channel in slack for feedback and discussion.
- Submit nominations for Chapter leadership to hello@dsaneworleans.org by June 10th. You may nominate as many members as you like, but no one may nominate themselves!
- Convention will be held June 24th at 12PM! Convention will be a hybrid meeting, both in-person and online. For those attending online, we’ll post a link to register on Zoom closer to the event.
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 & Bylaws Amendments
Below is a list of resolutions which will be debated and voted on at Convention (these require a 50%+ vote to be adopted).
| Resolution to Establish an Electoral Strategy for 2023-2025 | Electoral Working Group., Bob M. |
| Electoral Endorsements Resolution | Jack R.S. |
| Re-Authorize the Make Entergy Pay Campaign | Jack R.S. |
| Prioritize Anti-AirBnB Action | Jack R.S. |
| National Convention Delegate Expenses | Jack R.S. |
The following amendments to our Bylaws will be considered (these require a 2/3rds majority vote):
| National Convention Funding Bylaw Amendment | Jack R.S. |
| Amendment to Abolish Co-Chairs | Trey D. |
| Amendment to Establish an Advisory Council | Trey D. |
We’ll continually update these lists as new proposals are submitted before the deadline on June 17th, so be sure to check back then to read everything we’ll be voting on this year.
Voting
Only members currently in good standing can vote on proposals and in Chapter elections, so make sure you’ve signed up to DSA before the start of Convention! 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 we’ll assign you a proxy to make sure your votes are cast.
Officer Elections: As usual, we will be elections via software called OpaVote. You will receive your ballot via email when voting opens immediately following the in-person Convention, 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 during virtual-only General Meetings.