HoCo Branch Charter

The Greater Baltimore Democratic Socialists of America (the “GBDSA”) hereby establish and charter the Howard County Branch (the “Branch”) of the same chapter on the following terms and conditions:

Territory

The Branch shall consist of Howard County and all municipalities within the county.

Powers

The Branch shall have the power to:

  1. commission campaigns and associated working groups and committees,

  2. appoint and remove officers in accordance with this charter,

  3. hold regular and irregular meetings for branch business,

  4. request amendments to this charter or the use of GBDSA chapter resources from the chapter, and

  5. otherwise conduct and manage its affairs consistent with this charter and the bylaws of the GBDSA (the “Bylaws”).

Members

  1. Any member of the GBDSA with an address within the Howard County jurisdiction will automatically be a member of the branch.

  2. All members of the branch must be members of GBDSA.

  3. Any member who does not wish to be a member of the branch may terminate their membership with a request in writing to branch leadership.

  4. Any member of the branch who terminates their membership with GBDSA or with the National DSA Organization (the “National”) shall no longer be considered a member of the branch.

Meetings

  1. The Branch shall hold a regular meeting for conducting business at least 4 times a calendar year.

  2. Branch meetings shall be conducted under parliamentary procedures specified by the chapter, unless a steering vote specifies differently.

Branch Steering Committee

Members of the Branch Steering Committee shall be elected following the procedures in the “Elections” section below.

Co-Chairs

  1. The Branch shall elect two Co-Chairs, only one of whom may be a cis white man (the “Representation Requirement”).

  2. The Co-Chairs shall act as stewards of the Branch, chair its regular meetings, ensure that the Branch operates democratically, regularly report to the Steering Committee of the GBDSA, and issue statements on issues in the Branch’s territory representing the view of the Branch membership.

  3. In the event that the Co-Chairs are unable to reach consensus on a matter within their responsibility, they shall jointly submit it to the membership of the Branch for resolution at the next regular meeting. 

At-Large Steering

The Branch shall elect two At-Large Steering Members, who shall be empowered to vote on steering decisions and be empowered to represent, speak for the branch and assist in the functions of the branch as decided upon by Branch Steering and in accordance with the bylaws.

Steering Liaison

At least one member of Branch Steering Committee shall attend each meeting of the GBDSA Steering Committee, for the purpose of keeping the Branch apprised of the activities of the Steering Committee and making regular reports to the Steering Committee on the activities of the Branch.

Appointed Officers

Method of Appointment

The Branch Steering Committee shall appoint the officers listed below. These appointments shall follow the same procedures as those in the Chapter Bylaws.

Communications Officer

The Communications Officer shall maintain all branch social media accounts, assist in email, and perform other regular communication functions necessary for the functioning of the branch.

Outreach Officer

The Outreach Officer shall onboard new members of the branch by running orientations, and performing other activities for engaging members of the chapter.

Secretary

The Secretary shall prepare agendas and keep minutes for regular meetings of the Branch, and provide information to members through appropriate channels, conduct and record election results.

Elections

  1. Elections shall be held for At-Large Steering and Co-Chairs on an annual basis and will follow the procedures outlined in the bylaws of The Chapter.

  2. The Secretary shall inform all members of the branch who are current in their dues (each, a “Member in Good Standing”) of the date of an election via email no later than three weeks prior to elections being held.

  3. All officers shall serve for a term of one year, until the next annual elections. Each Member in Good Standing shall be entitled to one vote for each officer position.

Removal

  1. A vote to remove an officer may be called by a majority vote of members present at a regular meeting.

  2. At the next regular meeting, the officer may then be removed by a two-thirds majority vote of members present. 

Vacancies

  1. If an elected officer’s position becomes vacant, an election for their replacement shall be held no later than the second branch meeting following the vacancy.

  2. If an appointed officer’s position becomes vacant, the Branch Steering Committee shall appoint a replacement as soon as is practical.

  3. If the Secretary’s office becomes vacant, the Co-Chairs shall appoint a Secretary pro temp for the limited purpose of conducting an election.

  4. The replacement shall serve until the next regularly scheduled annual election.

Working Groups

  1. Working groups established by the branch shall only focus on Howard County specific issues.

  2. For each campaign commissioned by the Branch, the Branch shall establish a temporary, ad hoc committee with open membership - a working group - that will organize the campaign and make regular reports to the Branch and the Branch Executive on its progress.

  3. Each campaign working group shall make its reports available to the entire branch membership by issuing emails and/or posting reports to a persistent online location or service.