Statement on Improving our Resolutions Process
43rd District Democrats,
Thank you all for joining our endorsements meeting on Tuesday evening. We had nearly 300 people participate in our first online endorsements process. I’m proud of the many fantastic candidates we endorsed.
We want to acknowledge the disappointment we heard, both during the meeting and after, that there wasn’t an opportunity to discuss the content of the resolutions. I, and others on our board, were looking forward to hearing that discussion, and we share your disappointment.
As was said at the beginning of the meeting “We know that we have work to do as a party both statewide and here in the 43rd to build a more welcoming and representative organization.” Tuesday evening was a good illustration of this and we are thinking hard about how we can do better moving forward.
It is clear from the past several meetings that our current process regarding resolutions is not serving our membership well. Members have expressed confusion over when they are permitted to ask questions, discuss, or move to adopt/postpone/amend resolutions as well as frustration over the time we spend debating whether to take up a particular resolution rather than discussing the resolution itself.
Additionally, when we do decide as a body to take up resolutions we owe them a fair hearing, especially for those resolutions which are particularly controversial. Members who put in the time to write resolutions and bring them to our body are often looking forward to speaking in favor of their resolution and those who oppose a particular resolution deserve a chance to make their case to the membership. As we saw on Tuesday, immediately “Calling the Question” on a resolution in order to move to a vote not only deprives the body of a chance to hear the varied perspectives of our members, but can take up more time and effort than the discussion would have taken in the first place.
Of course, all of this has been made more difficult by the fact that we are still adjusting to running meetings virtually. Things such as taking a vote on a motion to postpone, which are often quick and easy in person, take much longer online. It is also difficult for the body to determine who has the floor and has been recognized by the chair in these online environments, and this led to confusion and frustration Tuesday evening. We will continue to improve on this, and thank you all for your patience as we work out the kinks in the process.
With all of that being said, we want to share a few of the ideas we’ve been considering on how we can improve our resolutions process going forward.
1. Going forward the meeting chat will be used to seek the floor and members will be able to make their motion only once recognized by the chair. This should help ensure that it is clear to everyone who has the floor and what motions have been made.
2. We will do our best to move resolutions towards the beginning of the agenda to give us ample time for discussion.
3. In the future I will make sure that we always have a parliamentarian available to help with the interpretation of Robert’s Rules. It was my mistake not to appoint one for Tuesday’s meeting and I take responsibility for doing so moving forward.
4. The Rules and Bylaws Committee will propose standing rules for discussing and voting on resolutions, and will present these to the membership for a vote on adoption. While our current process is dictated by Robert’s Rules of Order, our bylaws allow us to define rules that take precedence over Robert’s when and as it suits us. This appears to be a case where it is necessary and appropriate (and perhaps past time) for us to do so.
The Committee’s goal will be to propose rules that give members a clear opportunity to decide whether to take up the resolution or postpone it to later, ensure that members have an opportunity to discuss resolutions prior to voting on them, and ensure that the discussion on a resolution centers and includes the communities most impacted by that resolution. Please contact bylaws@43rddemocrats.org if you are interested in participating in the development of this proposal, would like to share input or feedback, or have questions or concerns about this process.
5. We will also look into ways to proactively help members understand matters of parliamentary procedure as they are happening, including what motion is on the floor, what is required for it (e.g., is a second required, is it 2/3rds or simple majority), and what actions can be taken (i.e., what motions are in order). The complexity of Robert’s means that people with knowledge, training, and comfort with it have an advantage over those without. This all too often can tilt meetings and debates in favor of groups who experience relative privilege within our society, and against groups that suffer under systems of oppression. Rules for process and procedure are important, but it is equally important for everyone to have an equal understanding of the rights and access to the rights they provide.
Again, thank you all so much for your involvement in the 43rd and your work to improve our community for everyone. We welcome any feedback you may have regarding the June 16th meeting, or our organization as a whole, which you can send to chair@43rddemocrats.org.
Thanks,
43rd District Democrats Chair Scott Alspach and the 43rd District Democrats Executive Board