Chapter Bylaws

Resolutions

Resolution: Clean Break with the Democratic Party

Whereas, the DSA National Convention resolved in 2025 to work towards building an independent party; and

Whereas, the Southeast Idaho DSA chapter continues to have the ability to endorse Democratic Party candidates for local, state, and federal offices; and

Whereas, endorsing Democratic candidates blurs the political identity of DSA as an independent socialist organization; and

Whereas, the Southeast Idaho DSA chapter is an Anti Zionist organization and the Democratic Party has continued to platform Zionists and continued its unconditional support for the Occupying Zionist entity; and

Whereas, the Southeast Idaho DSA chapter advocates for and fights in the interests of the working class, whereas the Democratic Party has repeatedly shown itself to be a capitalist party that protects the interests of capital; and

Whereas, remaining on the Democratic ballot line subjects this chapter to the “lesser evil” logic that historically demobilizes working class movements and voters;

Be it therefore resolved by the Southeast Idaho Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America:

Section 1: Immediate Prohibition

Effective immediately upon passage the Southeast Idaho DSA chapter shall not endorse, nominate, or provide financial or organizational resources to any candidate who runs as a Democrat in any election including local, state, or federal races. This chapter shall not platform or collaborate with the Democratic Party or Democratic Candidates on events or chapter campaigns.

Section 2: Independent Ballot Line Requirement

Future endorsements by this chapter shall be conditioned on the candidate running as an independent, third-party, or unaffiliated ballot line. In the event that Southeast Idaho DSA endorses a candidate that meets this condition and later joins or adopts the Democratic Party nomination/affiliation/party line said candidate will lose their Southeast Idaho DSA endorsement effective immediately.  

Section 3: Flexibility on policy that materially benefits the working class

The Southeast Idaho DSA chapter reserves the right to platform and advocate for state and federal policy changes that materially benefits the working class regardless of whether they are backed, endorsed, or platformed by the Democratic Party.

Section 4: Memberships engagement with the Democratic party

Members at large are free to vote for and support democratic candidates outside official chapter business/activity/events. This shall not affect their standing in the chapter. Members shall not platform, advocate for, or campaign on behalf of Democratic candidates or the Democratic Party during official chapter events, meetings, campaigns, ect. Members shall not make any official statements on behalf of the Southeast Idaho DSA chapter in favor of the Democratic Party or any democratic candidate. Members found violating this policy shall be subject to a “three strike” warning process. The first strike shall be a verbal reminder of this resolution. The second strike shall be a written warning signed off by two steering committee members documenting the violation. The third strike shall result in an official grievance being filed that could result in potential expulsion from the chapter.

Section 5: Committing to building an independent Socialist party

Southeast Idaho DSA commits to working towards and supporting efforts to make the Democratic Socialists of America an independent socialist party outside of the sphere of influence of the Democratic Party.

Resolution: For an Anti-Zionist SEI DSA in both Principle and Practice 

Whereas, and in line with Convention Resolutions #4 and #62 from 2019, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is an anti-imperialist organization;

Whereas, and in line with Convention Resolution #50 from 2019, the DSA is an anti-colonialist organization committed to advancing decolonization projects;

Whereas, and in line with Convention Resolutions #41 and #45 from 2017 and Resolutions #4 and #31 from 2021, the DSA is an anti-racist organization;

Whereas, and in line with Convention Resolutions #7 and 8 from 2017 and Resolution #35 from 2019, DSA National has publicly declared on numerous occasions in recent years that it “unapologetically stands in solidarity with Palestinian people everywhere;”

Whereas, Zionism – as popularized by Theodore Herzl and explicitly described by him as “something colonial,” meant to be “a wall of Europe against Asia… an outpost of [Western] civilization against [Eastern] barbarism” – is and has always been a racist, imperialist, settler-colonial project that has resulted in the ongoing death, displacement, and dehumanization of Palestinians everywhere (i.e., in Palestine and in diaspora around the world);

Whereas, the establishment of a Jewish ethnostate in Palestine (i.e., the so-called “state of Israel”) and its maintenance via ongoing and illegal occupation, apartheid and ethnic cleansing represent the culmination of Zionists’ century-long colonization of Palestine;

Whereas, as part of therri century long ethnic cleansing, Zionist occupation forces have been perpetrating a genocide in Gaza since October 2023 that has been confirmed to have killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, but potentially up to 186,000; 

Whereas, the US government shares equal responsibility for the genocide in Gaza, because it has armed, financially supported, and shielded the Zionist entity from diplomatic consequences to ensure their attacks can continue, alongside sending U.S. troops to directly participate in the massacre;

Whereas, and antithetical to the DSA’s contemporary principles and policies, DSA’s founding merger was heavily predicated on ensuring that the DSA would uphold DSOC’s position of supporting continued American aid for Israel’s Zionist settler-colonial project, as explicitly noted in our organization’s founding merger documents (e.g., Points of Political Unity) and by Michael Harrington himself in his autobiography;

Whereas, and antithetical to the DSA’s contemporary principles and policies, a number of DSA endorsed electeds (e.g., Jamaal Bowman & Nithya Raman) have consistently demonstrated a commitment to Zionism through their public opposition to BDS and/or support for legislation that harms Palestinians everywhere (e.g., public support for and votes in favor of U.S. financial aid to Israeli military, which forcefully advances the ongoing ethnic cleansing of Palestine through systematic tactics of abuse, forcible displacement, and murder of Palestinians; governmental adoption of definitions of antisemitism that conflate anti-Zionism and antisemitism, leading to the suppression of speech of Palestinians and those in solidarity with them);

Whereas, the DSA’s historic and contemporary association with and enablement of Zionism has jeopardized DSA rank-and-file membership’s confidence in the integrity of DSA’s overall politics, as well as our organization’s working relationships with major Palestinian-led grassroots organizations across North America;

Whereas, DSA membership has overwhelmingly denounced Zionism through its stated principles and convention mandates since 2017 but has yet to articulate these newfound principles into a more coherent praxis;

Whereas, the resolution “Make DSA an Anti-Zionist Organization in Principle and Praxis” (MSR #12), failed to be passed in full in the 2023 National Convention, and there is an urgent need to address this on a chapter level;

Whereas, in failing to pass an Anti-Zionist resolution in the spirit of MSR #12, DSA is not a safe space for Palestinians and those who organize for Palestinian liberation, as evidenced by the digital and physical threats against Palestine organizers at the 2023 convention;

Therefore, be it resolved, the Southeast Idaho DSA chapter denounces the organization’s Zionist roots and reaffirms its commitment to being an anti-racist, anti-imperialist organization by explicitly committing to being an anti-Zionist chapter– in both principal and praxis;

Be it resolved, Southeast Idaho DSA once again reaffirms our organizations commitments to Palestinian liberation and the broad, international BDS movement by conveying our expectation that all of Southeast Idaho DSA’s endorsed candidates hold true to the following basic commitments:

• Publicly support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement;
• Refrain from any and all affiliation with the Israeli government or Zionist lobby groups, such as, but not limited to, AIPAC, J Street, or Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), including participating in political junkets or any event sponsored by these entities;
• Pledge to oppose legislation that harms Palestinians, such as:
  • Any official adoption of a redefinition of antisemitism to include opposition to Israel’s policies or legal system, or support for BDS (e.g., IHRA definition of antisemitism);
  • Legislative and executive efforts to penalize individuals, universities and entities that boycott Israel;
  • Legislative and executive efforts to send any military or economic resources to Israel;
• Pledge to support legislation that supports Palestinian liberation, such as…
  • Legislative and executive efforts to end Israeli apartheid and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians and promote Palestinians’ rights to return to and live freely on the land (e.g., H.R. 2590);
  • Condemnation of Israeli apartheid and colonial practices  (e.g., H.Res. 751);
  • Attempts to end the spending of U.S. tax dollars on Israel and/or sanction Israel until it ceases its practices of apartheid and colonialism;

Be it resolved, our local chapter’s candidate questionnaires will continue to include a question that inquires about the candidate’s position on BDS;

Be it resolved, potential candidates who cannot commit to the aforementioned basic expectations will be disqualified from endorsement by the Southeast Idaho DSA at every level;

Be it resolved, the Southeast Idaho DSA will provide, in collaboration with trusted Palestine Solidarity movement partners in the grassroots (e.g., Pocatello for Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement), will provide all endorsed candidates with anti-Zionist educational materials, 1-to-1 training opportunities and ongoing, open-door counsel as needed;

Be it resolved, upon receiving fair and ample opportunity for education about the Palestinian struggle for liberation, endorsed candidates who do not commit to the aforementioned basic expectations will have their Southeast Idaho DSA endorsements swiftly revoked;

Be it resolved, Southeast Idaho DSA members – regardless of endorsement status – who are credibly shown to:

• have consistently and publicly opposed BDS and Palestine, even after receiving fair and ample opportunity for education about the Palestinian struggle for liberation, 
• be currently affiliated with the Israeli government or any Zionist lobby group(s), such as, but not limited to, AIPAC, J Street, or Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) or
• Have provided material aid to Israel (e.g., Congresspeople voting to provide Israel with material aid; gave direct financial donations of any kind to Israel and/or settler NGOs who carry out the mission of Israeli settlement and Palestinian dispossession/displacement, such as the Jewish National Fund, the Israel Land Fund, the Hebron Fund, and Regavim) will be considered in substantial disagreement with DSA’s principles and policies, and thus, the chapter will initiate the expulsion process in line with Article 1, Section 3 of the national DSA Bylaws;

Be it resolved, members expelled on these grounds may be reconsidered for membership reinstatement once per year provided they write a statement to chapter membership that 1.) demonstrates a basic understanding of Palestinian issues and Zionism and 2.) apologizes for past anti-solidaristic behaviors with a commitment to putting their new anti-Zionist principles into practice;

Be it resolved, membership reinstatement of reformed Zionists will require recommendation for reinstatement by their local chapter, followed by a majority vote in favor of reinstatement by the National Political Committee, as per the national Bylaws.