Article I. Name
Section 1. The name of the chapter shall be Southern New Hampshire Democratic Socialists of America, hereafter referred to as “SNH DSA.” SNH DSA shall be a not-for-profit corporation.
Article II. Purpose
Section 1. The purpose of SNH DSA shall be to promote and advance economic and cultural changes which shift society towards a democratic socialist model, in which the means of production are socially owned and controlled and the abolition of the class system.
Section 2. SNH DSA shall participate in activities such as, but not limited to, campaigns, membership drives, protests, social engagements, and work community assistance following the models of mutual aid.
Article III. Membership
Section 1. Membership in SNH DSA is available to DSA members whose dues are paid in full and reside or work in or near Rockingham, Strafford, Hillsborough, Merrimack, or Cheshire counties. SNH DSA members may not belong to another DSA chapter, with the exception of DSA organizing committees and YDSA chapters.
Section 2. An SNH DSA member shall be considered to be “in good standing” if their dues are paid in full to the current date to the national DSA organization and if they fulfill the residency requirements specified in section 1.
Section 3. DSA dues must be paid to the national office for membership in SNH DSA. Individuals may not be members of SNH DSA without being members of national DSA.
Section 4. All members of SNH DSA are expected to adhere to the Code of Conduct from the DSA national organization at all times.
Section 5a. Members may be expelled from SNH DSA if they are found to be in substantial disagreement with the principles of democratic socialism, or if they are found to be engaging in undemocratic or disruptive behavior, or found to be consistently operating in bad faith within SNH DSA.
Section 5b. For this expulsion process to begin, a SNH DSA member must bring written charges to the SNH DSA HGO, who will follow the procedures listed per DSA National Resolution 33. If the HGO determines the allegations valid, the HGO will notify the Steering Committee. The investigation shall take no longer than two weeks, and the member in question shall be allowed to receive a copy of the written charges, and allowed to present their case to the steering committee at an ad-hoc meeting at the conclusion of the investigation.
Section 5c. At the end of the investigative period the members of the steering committee may vote to expel the member by a ⅔ vote.
Section 5d. Any expelled SNH DSA member may appeal their expulsion to the National Political Committee of DSA.
Section 6. Members may resign from SNH DSA at any time.
Section 7. SNH DSA shall establish a system of voluntary pledges for its membership. Pledges shall only be solicited after the creation, presentation and adoption of an annual chapter budget. The payment of an SNH DSA donation or pledge may not be a requirement for voting in SNH DSA or holding office within the chapter.
Article IV. Meetings
Section 1. SNH DSA shall hold at minimum one (1) general meeting every month which shall be open to all SNH DSA members. Additional meetings shall be held either with approval of the membership at a prior meeting, or called by the steering committee on an emergency basis. The SNH DSA steering committee will circulate an agenda in advance of every general meeting, as well as for every emergency meeting called by the steering committee.
Section 2. SNH DSA shall hold one (1) Annual meeting per year. The date of the annual meeting must occur on or before March 31st of any given year. The business of the annual meeting shall include as part of its programming the election of SNH DSA steering committee officers and the approval of an annual budget.
Article V. Officers and Elections
Section 1. SNH DSA members shall elect three (3) chapter officers, following Article 4, Section 2 of these bylaws. These officers shall consist of one chair, one (1) secretary, and one (1) treasurer. The Steering Committee shall be considered a committee of equals with no individual member having final say over chapter decisions. These members shall make up the steering committee of SNH DSA which shall consist of three (3) SNH DSA members in good standing, elected at the Annual meeting, with a term that expires at the beginning of the next Annual meeting. Nominations for chapter officers shall be received by the outgoing steering committee no sooner than four (4) weeks and no later than two (2) weeks before an annual meeting. Members shall either be nominated for chapter officer position by an SNH DSA member in good standing, or by themselves if they are an SNH DSA member in good standing. Upon receipt of a nomination request the outgoing steering committee must solicit the chapter membership for at least one (1) other member in good standing to endorse the nomination, after which the candidate shall be added to the ballot at the following annual meeting.
Section 2. All SNH DSA officers shall adhere to the conflict of interest policy outlined in the national DSA Code of Conduct Section C, Item 3.
Section 3. Elections for chapter secretary, treasurer and chairperson shall be conducted via instant-runoff voting.
Section 4. The responsibilities of the chairperson shall be: a) to preside over steering committee meetings, b) chair working committees where chairperson vacancies exist or when the committee becomes defunct pursuant to Article IV Section 3, c) coordinating over the day-to-day work and operation of SNH DSA branches and committees, d) acts as primary, though not exclusive, spokesperson on behalf of the chapter to maintain relationships with other organizations in a capacity compliant with the democratic processes of the Southern New Hampshire DSA
Section 5. The responsibilities of the secretary shall be: a) answering all correspondence and queries made within the membership of SNH DSA, b) maintaining an up-to-date membership list for SNH DSA, c) temporarily assuming the responsibilities of the chairperson if they are unable to do so, d) maintaining communication with the DSA national organization, e) maintaining custody of all meeting minutes and chapter records (including membership lists) and providing records to their successor, f) announcements of general meetings and posting the agenda and minutes thereof. The Secretary shall establish a repository of chapter documents and make them available pursuant to best practices of operational security.
Section 6. The responsibilities of the treasurer shall be: a) maintaining the funds and financial records of SNH DSA, b) depositing all funds collected by SNH DSA into the chapter bank account, c) maintaining SNH DSA’s fiscal policy and presenting amendments to the fiscal policy to SNH DSA general membership, d) preparing an annual budget and financial report to SNH DSA to be presented at an annual meeting with assistance of the standing fundraising committee, e) maintaining the system of voluntary pledges as outlined in Article III section 7, including record keeping and promotion of the system, f) establishing a trustee of the funds.
Section 7. In the event of a vacancy of SNH DSA officers, the remaining members of the SNH DSA Steering committee shall appoint an SNH DSA member in good standing to fill the vacant position for the remainder of the steering committee term. Appointments shall require a unanimity of the remaining steering committee members; if such consensus cannot be reached, or ⅔ of the steering committee are vacant, an emergency general meeting will be called and the appointment put to a vote requiring ⅔ majority of SNH DSA members in good standing present at the meeting.
Section 8. SNH DSA officers may resign their position at any time by submitting written notice to the chapter membership. Resignations shall be considered in effect from the time of their submission.
Section 9. Any SNH DSA officer may be recalled for malfeasance or nonfeasance of their duties or responsibilities as an officer. In order to recall an officer a SNH DSA member in good standing must submit a petition bearing the signatures of 5% of chapter members in good standing to the SNH DSA steering committee, which will set the date of an SNH DSA meeting to deliberate on the removal request. The accused officer shall be given two (2) weeks written notice of their removal in advance of the aforementioned meeting, which shall include the specific reasons made for the officer’s removal. At the meeting the accused officer shall be allowed to defend themselves. A removal vote shall take place at that meeting via a ⅔ majority vote of SNH DSA members in good standing present at the meeting.
Article VI. Resolutions
Any member in good standing may bring forward a resolution to a chapter General Meeting to be voted upon by membership. In order for a resolution to be considered for voting, the resolution must be endorsed by at least three (3) chapter members in good standing in addition to at least one (1) author. The resolution must then be submitted to the Steering Committee through an official channel such as the chapter email or proposals channel at least two (2) weeks in advance of a General Meeting. Resolutions which are not submitted in time for a General Meeting may be considered for the next General Meeting.
Resolutions may be rejected by the Steering Committee if the resolution contradicts or is prohibited by the chapter’s or national organization’s bylaws
Article VII. Internal Bodies
Section 1. Definition of Internal Bodies
Internal Bodies of the Local Chapter shall consist of Committees and Working Groups. All Internal Bodies should serve the Local Chapter in a meaningful way, help advance our goals within Southern New Hampshire, and ultimately, accept the following standards to maintain accountability and reasonable oversight. All Internal Bodies are ultimately answerable to the general membership.
Section 1.2 Annual Reestablishment Committees and Working Groups not enumerated in these bylaws, will be reestablished by majority vote at each Annual Meeting. Committees and Working Groups must present a charter to be considered for reestablishment at the Annual Meeting.
Section 2. Committees
A Committee is a group within the Local Chapter that is tasked with carrying out an internal function for the Chapter. Ratification of these Bylaws will establish the following committees: Communications Committee Membership Committee Fundraising Committee Committees may be created by a vote of the General Membership at a General Meeting by way of passing a resolution containing a charter that details the purpose of the committee, the powers granted to the Committee, and the internal structure and functioning of the Committee. Committee charters may be amended by a vote of the General Membership at a General Meeting. Committees may submit requests for anonymized member data to the Steering Committee. Committees inactive for at least three (3) consecutive months shall be considered defunct. If a Committee is found to be defunct, the Steering Committee will schedule a vote for dissolution at the next available General Meeting and notify the General Membership. Additional privileges, such as access to social media, phonebank, and textbank lists, are subject to approval by the Steering Committee and may be revoked. If the Steering Committee finds that a Committee has failed to conduct its internal affairs according to SNHDSA bylaws or to have acted in violation of formally adopted resolutions or policies of SNHDSA, the Steering Committee may vote to suspend all officially sanctioned meetings, operations, and/or business of the Committee until the next General Meeting, at which point General Membership will vote on the question of dissolving the Committee.
Section 2.1 Privileges of Committees Committees will be guaranteed reasonable use of the Local’s internal communications systems to advertise meetings to members shall further be entitled to basic support from the Communications and Membership Committees (at the discretion of those Committees and their chairs). Committees will be guaranteed reasonable use of physical and virtual meeting spaces operated by the Local (e.g., a Zoom account or an office). Committees may submit requests for limited Membership Data, (i.e. names, phone numbers, general location) to the Secretary. Additional privileges, such as social media access and access to phone bank and text bank lists, are subject to prior approval by the Steering Committee and may be revoked. Without approval by the Steering Committee or Chapter Membership at a General Meeting, Committees are prohibited from liaising officially with other organizations, giving official chapter statements or endorsements, or starting campaigns. These actions can be proposed via resolution at a General Meeting or a request directed towards the Steering Committee if it is a time-sensitive matter.
Section 2.2 Committee Leadership All Committee chairs will be appointed by the Steering Committee, unless the General Body motions to override the Steering appointment by two-thirds (2/3) vote, and presents an alternative candidate that has been identified as the preferred choice. All appointees are subject to a term which ends at the next scheduled Annual Meeting. Committees will be led by at least one (1) chair while Committee membership does not surpass twelve (12) active members. Committees will be led by no more than two (2) Committee Co-Chairs while Committee membership does surpass twelve (12) active members. Committees shall also elect one (1) Committee Secretary from among their membership by majority vote. In the event that a Committee Chair or Co-Chair vacates their position, the Steering Committee, in consultation with the Committee membership, will appoint a replacement to fill the vacancy within one (1) month; unless the General Body motions to override the Steering appointment by two-thirds (2/3) vote, and presents an alternative candidate that has been identified as the preferred choice who will also fill the vacancy within one (1) month.
Section 2.3 Ex-Officio Presiding Officers The Steering Committee should take an active role in Internal Bodies, and reserves the right to Chair the three (3) following Committees; The Fundraising Committee shall consist of the SNHDSA Treasurer, serving as Ex-Officio Presiding Officer, as well as SNHDSA members. The Fundraising Committee shall be responsible for assisting the Treasurer in their preparation of the annual budget, financial record-keeping, proposing amendments to the SNHDSA fiscal policy, and assisting the Treasurer in the preparation of tax filing. The Fundraising Committee shall also nominate one (1) member, who is not the Treasurer to serve as Trustee of the Funds who will be allowed access to the SNHDSA bank account in the event that the Treasurer is unable to do so. The nomination of the Trustee of the Funds shall be approved by the Steering Committee by majority vote. The Membership Committee shall consist of the SNHDSA Secretary serving as Ex-Officio Presiding Officer, as well as SNHDSA members. The Membership Committee will be responsible for engaging and growing the membership of SNHDSA through activities such as, but not limited to, phonebanks, textbanks, tabling, and assisting the Secretary in their maintenance of the SNHDSA membership list. The Membership Committee shall maintain a new member onboarding process to acclimate new SNHDSA members to the chapter. The Membership Committee Chair will coordinate with the Steering Committee to direct SNHDSA members to needed initiatives and assist with promotion of chapter activities. The Communications Committee shall consist of the Chairperson serving as Ex-Officio Presiding Officer, as well as SNHDSA members. The Communications Committee shall be responsible for the writing and dissemination of a semi-regular chapter bulletin to be delivered at minimum over email, the maintenance of our SNHDSA Action Network activities, assisting the Chairperson in their responsibilities handling SNHDSA social media, as well as managing communications, inquiries, as well as fostering and growing relationships with local media, press, and comrade organizations. The Ex-Officio Presiding Officers shall have the authority to delegate the position of Committee Chair for their respective Committee to a member in good standing provided the following conditions are met: A) that the work of the committee can be reasonably expected to continue as normal, and B) that the Ex-Officio Presiding Officer is able to provide adequate oversight to the committee and step in when necessary. If a Presiding Officer is found to be in violation of these agreed upon standards and responsibilities, and does not appoint a member in good standing to the Committee Chair position, through a two-thirds (2/3) vote the Steering Committee can simultaneously recall the Ex-Officio Presiding Officer from their respective Committee Chair position, and appoint a new Committee Chair.
Section 3. Working Groups
A Working Group is a group of members that associate due to a shared interest or external goal that requires community engagement. Working Groups may be established for the purpose of initial, exploratory, and educational activities relevant to the aims of the Local and the purview of the Working Group, such as pilot programs, specific political education, and research activities. Working groups will be defined as issue-based (e.g., labor) or identity-based (e.g., queer socialists). Working Groups may be created by a vote of the General Membership at a General Meeting by way of passing a resolution. The resolution must describe an area of work that is not currently within the jurisdiction of another Internal Body of the Local, that is related to the purposes of the Local, and provide a detailed charter for the proposed Working Group. The resolution must identify one chair of the Working Group. The Working Group will be responsible for communicating with the Steering Committee about the activities and business of the Working Group. The Chapter Secretary will keep a regularly-updated list of recognized Working Groups and ensure the website is up-to-date with them. Working Groups may be dissolved by a vote of General Membership at a General Meeting of the Local Chapter if either General Membership or the Steering Committee finds the Working Group to be defunct, to have failed to conduct its internal affairs according to SNHDSA bylaws, or to have acted in violation of formally adopted resolutions or policies of SNHDSA. Working Groups inactive for three (3) consecutive months shall be considered formally defunct. If a Working Group is found to be defunct, the Steering Committee will schedule a vote for dissolution at the next available General Meeting and notify the General Membership.
Section 3.1 Privileges of Working Groups Working Groups will be guaranteed reasonable use of physical and virtual meeting spaces operated by the Local (e.g., a Zoom account or an office), and shall further be entitled to basic support from the Communications and Membership Committees (at the discretion of those Committees and their Chairs). Working Groups may submit requests for limited Membership Data, (i.e. names, phone numbers, general location) to the Secretary. Additional privileges, such as access to social media, and access to phone bank and text bank lists, are subject to approval by the Steering Committee and may be revoked. Working Groups cannot endorse events or individuals, publish statements, or officially participate in campaigns without approval from the General Body through a majority vote at a General Meeting. In cases where a membership vote would be untimely or otherwise inopportune, the Steering Committee is permitted to vote for approval in place of the General Body. In such matters where a member of the Steering Committee is leading the Working Group, said member should recuse themselves from the vote, and if the Steering Committee cannot come to a consensus the vote shall be given to the General Body.
Section 3.2 Working Group Leadership Working Groups will be led by at least one (1) chair while Working Group membership does not surpass twelve (12) active members. Working Groups will be led by no more than two (2) Co-Chairs while Working Group membership does surpass twelve (12) active members. Working Groups are responsible for electing their own chair(s) with a vote of the Working Group’s membership. If one or both co-chair slots are unable to be filled for over three months, the working group will be automatically dissolved. To be renewed, following a successful renewal vote at an Annual Convention, Working Groups must file a report with the Secretary relating the Working Group’s activities over the prior year.
Section 4. General Provisions
All Internal Bodies must maintain membership rolls and provide them to the Chapter Secretary at least once per calendar quarter. Internal Bodies shall be guaranteed reasonable use of Chapter meeting spaces and basic support from the Communications and Membership Committees.
Article VIII. Rules
Section 1. Any action taken by an officer or member of the Local Chapter in contravention of these Bylaws is null and void.
Section 2. SNH DSA may be dissolved by a ⅔ majority vote of membership at the Annual meeting. In the event of dissolution all chapter assets are returned to the Democratic Socialists of America.
Section 3. Proposed revisions or amendments to these bylaws must be made by written resolution, endorsed by at least three (3) SNH DSA members in good standing in addition to at least one (1) author of the resolution, and submitted to the steering committee two (2) weeks in advance of a general or annual meeting. Resolutions must be presented using the official template provided by the Local. Once received the steering committee must provide the general membership at least one week of written notice of the endorsed revisions or amendments. The revision or amendment must be approved by a ⅔ majority vote of the general membership in good standing present at any general or annual meeting.