Endorsement Timeline
| Endorsement Process Step | Date |
|---|---|
| Endorsement Application Period Opens | April 1st |
| Candidate Questionnaire Deadline | June 15th |
| Deadline to Gather Membership Support | June 15th |
| Leadership Meetings | May – June |
| Steering Committee Vote | June 21st |
| Endorsement Meeting | July 11th (Tentative) |
| Endorsement Announcements | The Week Following Results |
First Steps:
- Questionnaires
Candidates interested in seeking TCDSA endorsement should email electoral@twincitiesdsa.org to request a questionnaire. Questionnaires for the current application period are due by June 1st, 2026. Questionnaire responses will be made available to members to review.
- Member Support
As candidates confirm they are interested in seeking TCDSA endorsement, they will be provided a form to gather member support, and members of the chapter are then informed of candidates seeking our endorsement. Please reach out to electoral@twincitiesdsa.org ASAP to request your form to collect member support. To be considered for endorsement, a candidate will need to collect support for consideration from 5% of TCDSA members — 117 people as of Apr. 2026. Member support motions for the current application period must be collected by June 1st, 2026.
Chapter Meetings:
- Meeting with Leadership
After being supported by the required number of chapter members and submitting questionnaires, candidates will be invited to a meeting with our Steering Committee and Socialists In Office Committee. The purpose of this meeting is to introduce candidates to the SIO structure, allow candidates to ask questions about DSA, and talk about what our collaboration over their term can look like. - Endorsement Meeting and Vote
We are tentatively planning to consider endorsements at our June 20th General Meeting. Each candidate will be given a few minutes to state why they should receive a TCDSA endorsement. Following that, membership will engage in a facilitated debate on the endorsements being considered. Following the conclusion of this Meeting, an OpaVote ballot will be emailed to TCDSA membership. To be endorsed, a candidate must receive at least 60% of votes on a ranked “Single Transferable Vote” (STV) ballot — defeating any competing candidates as well as “No Endorsement”. The endorsement results will be announced the week following the vote.
A Note on Candidate Filtering
- To help inform the general membership and Steering Committee of any important considerations, the TCDSA Electoral Committee may conduct basic research on candidates and the offices being sought for endorsement. This would most likely relate to the viability of a candidate’s campaign to win, or alignment on important issues if findings differ greatly from the submitted questionnaire. However, this research will not make recommendations for or against endorsement.
Based on this information — or for example, if an overwhelming number of candidates seek endorsement, making the Endorsement Meeting untenable — the chapter Steering Committee has the ability to decide who proceeds to the Endorsement Meeting and appears on the endorsement ballot.
Also Good to Know
- If not endorsed: If it should happen that you don’t get endorsed, this will not prevent TCDSA members from working for your campaign, as long as nothing either you or they do would give the impression that TCDSA has endorsed you.
- Building support with chapter members for consideration: As soon as your receive the form to collect member support, you can post on your own social media, ask in person, or ask other members to advocate for you in their networks! If you are also a member, you can ask your comrades on Slack or via other open channels to support Twin Cities DSA considering your candidacy for endorsement.
Have questions? Please email electoral@twincitiesdsa.org.
Solidarity Forever!