Participation
- A branch member is a current Twin Cities DSA member (with dues paid to DSA National, or within the one-year grace period for dues payment) who affirms their intent to be an active branch member in a poll conducted periodically by the chairs. (Timing of the poll is at the chairs’ discretion.) Branch members may vote at branch meetings or when votes are conducted online.
- Chairs will be responsible for keeping a complete roster of branch members. Members will be asked to provide a primary contact email, which will be the official mode of communication when chairs distribute information about upcoming votes.
- Branch participants who are not branch members are welcome to contribute to conversations leading up to voting and may not vote.
Chairs
- The branch will have 2 co-chairs.
- Co-chairs are responsible for attending steering committee meetings to represent branch interests, planning branch meetings, maintaining the roster, and sending out notifications related to meetings, events, and voting. The two co-chairs may split up these responsibilities as they see fit (e.g., by designating one co-chair as the branch’s Steering Committee representative).
- A branch member who has participated in at least 6 regular branch meetings in the 2 years preceding the vote (not including the voting meeting) is eligible to be nominated as a co-chair. While cisgender men are welcome to be members, they are not eligible for co-chair positions.
- Nominations will take place during the two weeks preceding co-chair elections. Candidates for co-chair must nominate themselves. Each candidate will post a statement in an online forum accessible to members during the nomination period.
- A quorum of at least 2/3 of branch members is required for co-chair elections.
- Elections will take place in September, through an anonymous ranked-choice online poll that is open for a period of two weeks. A co-chair’s term begins at the branch meeting following their election. A term is 12 months. Co-chairs are limited to 2 consecutive terms and may nominate themselves again one year after their second term ends.
- A co-chair may announce in writing a leave of absence for up to 3 months, which excuses them from all co-chair responsibilities. No 2 co-chairs may be on a leave of absence at any one time. If a co-chair must leave their position or be absent for more than 3 months, there will be a special election following the same timeline as regular branch elections.
Meetings
- Monthly branch meetings will be scheduled quarterly, posted on the chapter calendar, and announced on social media. The branch may also call emergency meetings with no less than 5 days’ notice.
- Members will take turns facilitating the monthly branch meetings. Chairs will keep a list of members who agree to facilitate.
Decision making
- Quorum for votes at meetings is 20% of branch members. All online polls or meetings at which decisions will be made by vote must be announced to branch membership.
- Proposals for decisions that will be put up for a vote must be provided to branch members at least 7 days before the vote is scheduled to take place.
- The following decisions are subject to a majority vote of the branch members:
- Campaigns, events, statements, or resolutions that are sponsored, planned, or endorsed by the branch
- Proposals going to the steering committee, such as expenditures
- The following decisions are subject to a ⅔ majority vote of the members:
- Branch bylaw amendments
- Rapid Response may be invoked in order to expedite decisions needed in less than 5 days. The chairs must 1) send an email to the branch to inform them of the decision in question and 2) inform members where they can vote on this decision online. The voting period will be no less than 24hrs. Both chairs must agree that the decision at hand necessitates Rapid Response.
- If a decision that would usually be subject to a vote must be made in less than 24 hours, chairs may make decisions on behalf of the branch. Both chairs must unanimously agree before taking action, & all decisions must be discussed at the following branch meeting.
Grievance/Conflict
- Grievances that happen within the branch are subject to the chapter grievance policy.