Bylaws of the Columbia, SC Local Chapter of Democratic Socialists of America
Adopted 02.3.2021; amended 11.17.2024.
The name of the Chapter will be the Columbia, SC Local Chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), hereafter referred to as “Columbia DSA”. DSA is a not-for-profit corporation.
The Columbia, SC Local Chapter of Democratic Socialists of America seeks to facilitate the transition to a truly democratic and socialist society, one in which the means/resources of production are democratically and socially controlled.
DSA rejects an economic order based solely on private profit, alienated labor, gross inequalities of wealth and power, discrimination based on race, gender or sexual orientation, and brutality and violence in defense of the status quo.
DSA envisions a humane social order based on popular control of resources, production, and economic planning, equitable distribution, gender and racial equality, and non-oppressive relationships.
Our conception of socialism is a profoundly democratic one. It is rooted in the belief that human beings should be free to develop to their fullest potential, that public policies should be determined not by wealth but by popular participation, and that individual liberties should be carefully safeguarded. It is committed to a freedom of speech that does not recoil from dissent, to a freedom to organize independent trade unions, women’s groups, political parties, and other formations -- recognizing these as essential bulwarks against the dangers of an intrusive state. It is committed to a freedom of religion that acknowledges the rights of those for whom spiritual concerns are central.
We are socialists because we are developing a concrete strategy for achieving that vision. In the present, we are building a visible socialist presence within the broad democratic Left. In the long run, we hope to build a majority movement capable of making democratic socialism a reality in the United States. Our strategy acknowledges the class structure of the U.S. society. This class structure means that there is a basic conflict of interest between those sectors with enormous economic power and the vast majority of the population.
Members of the Columbia, SC Local Chapter of DSA will be those individuals whose dues to national DSA are paid in full, who reside and/or work in counties of Calhoun, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lexington, Newberry, Richland, Orangeburg, Clarendon, Lee and Sumter. Individuals may not be members of the Local Chapter without being members of national DSA. It will be the responsibility of members to approve policies and guidelines for the operation of the Local Chapter, to elect delegates to the national convention, to vote on matters related to national policy, and to make recommendations on issues and other matters to the National Political Committee of DSA.
A member may resign from the Local Chapter and national DSA by contacting DSA’s national office.
If a member in good standing is found to be in substantial disagreement with the principles or policies of national DSA, or if they are found to be consistently engaging in undemocratic, disruptive behavior, or if they are found to be under the discipline of any democratic centralist organization, the Local Chapter may vote to expel them from the Local Chapter of DSA. In order for such a finding to be made, another DSA member must formally prefer written charges against the member in question to the Local Chapter Executive Committee, which will set the date of a Local Chapter meeting for deliberations on the charges. The member in question must receive a copy of the written charges and notice of the meeting a minimum of two (2) weeks before that meeting takes place. Expulsion of a member requires a two-thirds vote of the Local Chapter meeting. An expelled member in good standing may appeal to the National Political Committee of DSA.
As mandated by the national Constitution and Bylaws, the Local Chapter may establish a Local Chapter pledge system of voluntary donations for its members. The payment of a Local Chapter donation may not be a requirement for voting or for holding Local Chapter office.
Care will be taken to protect the privacy of each member’s contact information.
The Local Chapter will hold one (1) General Meeting annually on the last Sunday in the month of January for the purpose of electing officers. All members of the Local Chapter will be sent notice of, and an agenda for, the General Meeting four (4) weeks in advance. Notice may be sent by electronic means, but individuals who have not provided an email address must be sent a paper copy or contacted by phone or text. The General Meeting will elect Local Chapter officers and may adopt an annual budget. In general, it is the highest legislative body of the Local Chapter. The General Meeting may coincide with a Regular Meeting.
The Local Chapter will hold Regular Meetings at least four (4) times annually, the time and place of which will be set in a schedule published and distributed by the Local Chapter Executive Committee. The Regular Meetings will set Local Chapter policy and work priorities, and they will include political education sessions. In general, the Regular Meeting is the operating legislative body of the Local Chapter.
The Local Chapter Executive Committee, or 10% of the Members in Good Standing by petition submitted to the Executive Committee, may call an Emergency Meeting of the Local Chapter on five (5) days’ notice when an urgent and important matter requires deliberation. The agenda will state the purpose of the meeting, and any business conducted at the Emergency Meeting must be germane to this purpose.
The Local Chapter Executive Committee will set the agenda for meetings. Members of the Local Chapter may add to the agenda provided it was submitted three (3) days before the meeting.
A quorum of 10 percent of the members (but not fewer than six (6) persons) is required for General, Regular, or Emergency Meetings to transact business.
The officers of the Local Chapter will be the two (2) Co-Chairs, Secretary, Treasurer, and Communications Coordinator. The term of office will be one year, and will end with the end of the General Meeting. Unless not enough candidates who would satisfy these requirements choose to stand for election, the majority of officers will not be straight white cis-men.
In the event of a vacancy in any Local Chapter office, the Local Chapter Executive Committee will appoint a replacement, which may subsequently be ratified by the members at the next meeting, for the remainder of the term. If the appointed replacement is not ratified, an election will be held for the purpose of filling the vacant office.
The Executive Committee will have the authority to declare an office vacant and remove an Officer for abandonment of office for failing to attend at least three (3) of the scheduled Executive Committee meetings without excuse.
The Treasurer will Chair the Finance Committee and will be responsible for the funds and financial records of the Local Chapter. All funds collected by the Local Chapter will be turned over to the Treasurer, who will deposit them in a bank account under the name of the Local Chapter.
In cooperation with the Secretary, the Treasurer will be responsible for ensuring that membership dues are paid up-to-date. The Treasurer will prepare the annual Local Chapter budget and deliver the Local Chapter financial report to the General Meeting of the Local Chapter, as well as quarterly progress reports, or when requested by the Executive Committee of the Local Chapter.
The Communications Coordinator will Chair the Communications Committee, and will be responsible for managing the public and internal communication functions of the Chapter.
The Local Chapter Executive Committee may assign additional temporary duties to an officer of the Local Chapter, so long as such assignments do not conflict with the designation of responsibilities outlined in these Bylaws.
No person will hold multiple officer positions on the Executive Committee or hold any officer position on the Executive Committee if they are also serving on the National Political Committee of the national DSA.
Any person shall not serve on the Executive Committee for more than six (6) consecutive years.
The Local Chapter Executive Committee will be composed of the officers of the Local Chapter and the chair(s) of any Local Chapter Branches.
The meetings of the Executive Committee will be held at the call of the Co-Chairs at such intervals as may be determined by a prior Executive Committee Meeting or by consultation with any three (3) members of the Executive Committee. All members of the Executive Committee must (ordinarily) be given four (4) days oral, written, or electronic notice of regular Executive Committee Meetings; a 24-hour notice may be given under special emergency circumstances.
The Executive Committee may take action without a meeting if all Officers consent in writing to the action. The written consents will be filed with the minutes of the Executive Committee meetings. Action by written consent has the same force and effect as a unanimous vote of the Officers.
A quorum of a simple majority, including at least three (3) of the five (5) officers, is required for the transaction of Executive Committee business.
A Branch is a subgroup of the Local Chapter consisting of at least five (5) members in good standing with national DSA. Branches may be defined by geography or language. The Chair of Branches will hold membership on the Local Chapter Executive Committee.
Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) chapters within the geographic area defined by a DSA Local Chapter may affiliate as a branch of that Local Chapter, in which case the local YDSA chapter may send a representative to the Local Chapter Executive Committee.
Local Chapter delegates and alternates to the National Convention, as well as to any regional or state organizations, will be elected by members in good standing of the Local Chapter of DSA.
Elections for the National Convention delegation will be held on the schedule announced by the national organization. Elections to regional or state organizations will be held on the schedule announced by those organizations.
Following Article V, Section 5 of national DSA’s Constitution, delegates to the National Convention must be elected by secret ballot. And, “No election for delegates to the National Convention shall be held more than four months, or less than forty-five days, prior to the opening of the National Convention. No election for delegates shall be conducted before the apportionment of delegates.”
Following Article VI, Section 3, of national DSA’s Bylaws, Local Chapters “may determine their own method of election of delegates to the Convention except that a petition from 10% of a Local’ Chapters membership or a motion supported by 15% of those present and voting at the Local meeting which determines the method of election will require the use of the Hare system in that Local’s election of delegates to the National Convention.”
By vote at a Regular Meeting, a Point Person will be established at least one (1) month prior to every election. They will solicit and receive nominations for the positions to be elected.
Nominations for Local Chapter officers and delegates to DSA meetings will be opened for two (2) weeks beginning at least four (4) weeks before the meeting at which elections take place. The call for nominations will be announced to all members in good standing of Columbia, SC DSA as soon as nominations are open.
Early voting for Officers will be made available at the close of nominations. Ballots may be sent by electronic means, but individuals who have not provided an email address must be sent a paper ballot.
If a position is uncontested, the nominee may be declared elected by acclamation.
Any officer of the Local Chapter of DSA may be recalled for malfeasance or failure to fulfill their duties or obligations as an officer. In order to recall or remove an officer, a member in good standing must formally refer a request to remove said officer to the Local Chapter Executive Committee, which will set a date of a Local Chapter meeting for deliberations on the accused officer’s removal. The officer in question must receive written documentation of the specific reasons for the removal request and notice of the meeting a minimum of two weeks before the meeting takes place. The accused officer will be given a chance to speak in their own defense at this meeting. Removal of an officer requires a two-thirds vote of the Local Chapter meeting.
Members of the Local Chapter may request an absentee ballot on any motion in which a vote is to be called. For any motion, there will be at least one in-person meeting for oral discussion and debate on the motion. Prior to the day of the in-person meeting of the members, there will also be an online discussion period of at least three days. Absentee voting will be open for three days immediately following the in-person meeting, during which time online discussion will be ongoing.
To be eligible for absentee voting, members must have joined DSA more than 30 days prior to the in-person meeting or have attended the relevant in-person meeting. This restriction does not apply to voting in-person. The identity of the member requesting an absentee ballot will be securely authenticated at the time the ballot is issued.
The Executive Committee, or a Standing Committee appointed by the Executive Committee, will be responsible for developing an effective, accessible, and secure method for online discussion and absentee voting. Summaries of the online and in-person discussions will be made available to the member requesting an absentee ballot. The committee will be responsible for the creation, administration, and collection of absentee ballots as well as informing the Secretary of the names of absentee voters and the results.
The fiscal year of the Local Chapter will be one year, and will end with the end of the General Meeting.
The treasury must be deposited in a credit union; corporate banking institutions are forbidden unless no credit union is available. Corporate donations are forbidden to be accepted by the treasury. The “Columbia SC Democratic Socialists of America” account will be the surplus and reserves that are retained in the Local Chapter and not distributed to Members.
Columbia DSA will keep:
The annual report will be prepared in time for the Local Chapter’s General Meeting and will be distributed to the Members at or before the General Meeting.
The Rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised 11th Edition, will govern this Local Chapter in cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws. Consensus decision-making is desirable where feasible, but meetings must submit to Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised 11th Edition upon the request of a member.
Any action taken by an officer or member of the Local Chapter in contravention of these Bylaws is null and void.
The Local Chapter will follow the Harassment Policy of national DSA.
Resolution #33 of the 2017 National DSA Membership Convention is incorporated fully to this Section as the policy of Columbia DSA, with the Executive Committee serving the role of the Steering Committee referred to in the policy. The Executive Committee will:
All members of Columbia DSA have a right to participation and enjoyment of the rights and privileges of membership without interference, harassment, bullying, or uncomradely behavior. No member may engage in behavior that either in its purpose or effect creates a hostile environment that interferes with an individual’s capacity to organize within DSA; or, through its severity or persistence is intimidating, hostile, or offensive. Any code of conduct adopted by the national organization is in effect within Columbia DSA.
Proposed amendments to these Bylaws must be made by written resolution, endorsed by five (5) members of the Local Chapter of DSA and submitted to the Executive Committee at least one (1) month in advance of a General or Regular Meeting. The Executive Committee is required to provide the Local Chapter membership with at least two (2) weeks’ written or electronic notice of the proposed amendments. The amendment must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote at two (2) consecutive (Regular or General) Local Chapter meetings.
Columbia, SC Local Chapter will not engage in activity prohibited by the IRS guidelines established for 501(c)(4) organizations or similar rules established by the state of South Carolina. Nor will the Local Chapter engage in any activity prohibited by resolutions adopted by DSA’s National Convention or DSA’s National Political Committee.
Upon dissolution of the organization, any residual assets shall become property of the national organization of Democratic Socialists of America.
The Columbia, SC Local Chapter of Democratic Socialists of America is a 501(c)4 non-profit organization registered with the South Carolina Secretary of State.