TRG Voter Guide: 2023 Democracy Commission

Voting opens Wednesday, November 22nd and closes Sunday, December 3th

Written by the Rose Garden

Delegates to the 2023 DSA National Convention can now vote to elect the 21 members of the DSA Democracy Commission (DemCom) for the next two years!

The Democracy Commission, a brand-new body, was proposed and accepted at this year’s DSA National Convention. DemCom members have two goals: First, they will examine the structures of worldwide socialist parties and leftist organizations “organized on a democratic basis”. Second, they will draft a comprehensive plan to make DSA “more democratic and effective” to be presented at the 2025 DSA National Convention.

In short, the DemCom hopes to deepen DSA’s democracy. As democratic socialists, our organizing should reflect our radical democratic values.

Currently, 46 DSA members are running. The sections below outline their factional alignments, present a list of all candidates, and include our voting recommendations.

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Realignment candidates

2 candidates are running from the “realignment” wing of DSA. This wing prioritizes replacing centrist Democrats with socialist & progressive Democrats. These include members of North Star (NS) and aligned members.

2 members are running on the North Star (NS) slate:

1. Renee G (NS)

2. Bill B (NS)

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Mass politics candidates

14 candidates are running from the “mass politics” wing of DSA. This wing prioritizes electoral & labor organizing and winning political power through building a mass socialist organization. These include members of Socialist Majority (SMC) and Groundwork (GW), plus candidates who share this general alignment.

5 members are running on the Socialist Majority Caucus (SMC) slate:

1. Leslie C

2. Kristian H

3. Nalisa B

4. Vincent L

5. Shane R

SMC supports exploring “proposals to formalize caucuses, set campaign finance rules for convention, and bring together committees to function as a united organization.”

6 members are running on the Groundwork (GW) slate:

1. Allison K

2. Olivia M

3. Sumter A

4. Elizabeth O

5. Timothy S

6. Nikhil P

GW supports increased clarity around DSA’s national work groups and their members’ job titles, along with making DSA’s ideological tents like caucuses more accessible and understandable by new and prospective DSA members.

In addition, 3 aligned members are running:

1. Zach S

2. Garrison G

3. Patrick M

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Dirty break candidates

7 candidates are running from the “dirty break” wing of DSA. This wing prioritizes labor & tenant organizing and winning power through message independence from the Democratic party. These include members of Bread and Roses (BnR), Communist Caucus (CC), Emerge, plus candidates who share this general alignment.

4 members are running on the Bread and Roses (BnR) slate:

1. Frances R

2. Ramsin C

3. Riley WP

4. Danny N

BnR supports creating “structures that allow for member democracy and for DSA to grow into a mass organization rooted in the working class.”

1 member is running on the Communist Caucus (CC) slate:

1. Justin C

In addition, 2 aligned members are running:

1. Gerard D (Emerge)

2. Aaron B (none, was Lighthouse Slate)

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Party discipline candidates

17 candidates are running from the “party discipline” wing of DSA. This wing prioritizes strict guidelines for DSA electeds and a shift from running on the Democratic ballot line. These include members of Red Star (RS), Marxist Unity Group (MUG), Reform and Revolution (RnR), and Libertarian Socialist Caucus (LSC), plus candidates who share this general alignment.

4 members are running on the Red Star (RS) slate:

1. Matt N

2. Sanwal Y

3. Fern DS

4. Sean B (Constellation member)

RS supports “sharpening our own thinking through discussion, debate, and comradely struggle” and “drawing on the lessons of the international socialist movement”. 

2 members are running on the Marxist Unity Group (MUG) slate:

1. Nicholas W

2. Connell H

MUG supports exploration of “member oversight of the NPC, mandating proportional voting to protect our multi-tendency nature, and conflicts of interest on the convention committee”.

2 members are running on the Reform and Revolution (RnR) slate:

1. Judith C

2. Ruy M

2 members are running on the Libertarian Socialist Caucus (LSC) slate:

1. Tom J

2. Jacey L

In addition, 7 aligned members are running:

1. Richard W (Winter Caucus)

2. Jordan H

3. Greg S

4. Jack B

5. Chris W

6. David J

7. Zev C

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Other candidates

6 members are running with no caucus membership and no obvious alignment:

1. Dhaval S

2. Don D

3. Erick B

4. Matthew L

5. Priscilla O

6. Richard R

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Full candidate list

1. Realignment:

   1. Renee Greene Levitt (NS)

   2. Bill Barclay (NS)

2. Mass politics:

   1. Leslie C (SMC)

   2. Kristian H (SMC)

   3. Nalisa B (SMC)

   4. Vincent L (SMC)

   5. Shane R (SMC)

   6. Allison K (GW)

   7. Olivia M (GW)

   8. Sumter A (GW)

   9. Elizabeth O (GW)

   10. Timothy S (GW)

   11. Nikhil P (GW)

   12. Zach S (none)

   13. Patrick M (none)

   14. Garrison G (none)

3. Dirty break:

   1. Frances R (BNR)

   2. Ramsin C (BNR)

   3. Riley WP (BNR)

   4. Danny N (BNR)

   5. Justin C (CC)

   6. Gerard D (Emerge)

   7. Aaron B (none)

4. Party discipline:

   1. Matt N (RS)

   2. Sanwal Y (RS)

   3. Fern DS (RS)

   4. Sean B (Constellation, RS endorsed)

   5. Nicholas W (MUG)

   6. Connell H (MUG)

   7. Judith C (RNR)

   8. Ruy M (RNR)

   9. Tom J (LSC)

   10. Jacey L (LSC)

   11. Richard W (Winter Caucus)

   12. Jordan H (none)

   13. Greg S (none)

   14. Jack B (none)

   15. Chris W (none)

   16. David J (none)

   17. Zev C (none)

5. Other:

   1. Dhaval S (none)

   2. Don D (none)

   3. Erick B (none)

   4. Matthew L (none)

   5. Priscilla O (none)

   6. Richard R (none)

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What’s at stake?

DSA has passed no meaningful constitutional amendment since the Bernie campaign. That’s because it’s hard to get a broad consensus, not because we haven’t tried.

For example, the 2023 “Democratize DSA” amendment + resolution combo would have expanded the NPC to 51 seats, which would have enormously reduced the burden on each NPC member. It received 61% of the vote – but it needed 66%.

When the DemCom presents its democratization plan to the 2025 convention, it will likely have more cross-factional support – because it will be hammered by consensus over two years – and more prestige – because it will be borrowed from successful socialist organizations worldwide.

In short, the 2025 DemCom plan will have the best shot at reforming DSA in a decade.

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How should you vote?

The DemCom election follows standard single transferable vote (STV) rules. Therefore, you should rank your favorite candidates highest.

The DemCom has no bylaws yet, and therefore no diversity quotas.

We recommend ranking Groundwork (GW) and Socialist Majority Caucus (SMC) candidates first, then other mass politics candidates.

Feel free to rank either SMC or GW first. Rank the rest of your ballot however you’d like.

For example, here’s a SMC-1st, GW-2nd, MP-3rd slate:

1. Leslie C (SMC)

2. Kristian H (SMC)

3. Nalisa B (SMC)

4. Vincent L (SMC)

5. Shane R (SMC)

6. Allison K (GW)

7. Olivia M (GW)

8. Sumter A (GW)

9. Elizabeth O (GW)

10. Timothy S (GW)

11. Nikhil P (GW)

12. Zach S (none)

13. Garrison G (none)

14. Patrick M (none)

We recommend SMC and GW candidates out of our admiration of their commitment to transparency, accessibility, and efficiency. It’s crucial that DSA be structured to maximize both internal transparency and our ability to effectively fight the ruling class as a strong organization. We believe that some of DSA’s biggest structural problems lie in these fields and are hopeful in seeing GW’s and SMC’s slates promoting them as primary topics.

No matter who wins, we’re glad to see consensus that DSA needs to deepen its democracy, better connect members, and embrace transparency. We can’t wait to see what insights our DSA comrades draw from worldwide democratic socialist organizations!

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Update: Results

On December 5th, the Democracy Commission members were announced:

1. Sumter A (GW)

2. Jack B (Party Discipline)

3. Aaron B (Dirty Break)

4. Nalisa B (SMC)

5. Ramsin C (BNR)

6. Leslie C (SMC)

7. Justin C (CC)

8. Judith C (RNR)

9. Fern DS (RS)

10. Connell H (MUG)

11. Kristian H (SMC)

12. Tom J (LSC)

13. Allison K (GW)

14. Olivia M (GW)

15. Matt N (RS)

16. Danny N (BNR)

17. Elizabeth O (GW)

18. Nikhil P (GW)

19. Frances R (BNR)

20. Nicholas W (MUG)

21. Sanwal Y (RS)

Given that 90% of Convention delegates voted, the DemCom closely mirrors the ideological makeup of DSA’s 2023 national convention:

1. 0 – Realignment (0%)

   1. 0 or 0% – North Star

2. 8 – Mass Politics (38%)

   1. 5 seats (24%) – Groundwork (Sumter, Allison, Olivia, Elizabeth, Nikhil)

   2. 3 seats (14%) – Socialist Majority Caucus (Nalisa, Leslie, Kristian)

3. 5 – Dirty Break (24%)

   1. 3 seats (14%) – Bread and Roses (Ramsin, Danny, Frances)

   2. 1 seat (5%) – Communist Caucus (Justin)

   3. 1 seat (5%) – no caucus (Aaron)

4. 8 – Party Discipline (38%)

   1. 3 seats (14%) – Red Star (Fern, Matt, Sanwal)

   2. 2 seats (10%) – Marxist Unity Group (Connell, Nicholas)

   3. 1 seat (5%) – Reform and Revolution (Judith)

   4. 1 seat (5%) – Libertarian Socialist Caucus (Tom)

   5. 1 seat (5%) – no caucus (Jack)

5. 0 – Other (0%)

For comparison, the NPC is 6/16 Mass Politics (38%), 3/16 Dirty Break (19%), and 7/16 Party Discipline (44%). For another comparison, see this graphic summary of the Convention delegates by their preferred faction from station_zzz:

Congratulations to the winners – here’s for a strong two years of investigating effective democratic structures!