Democracy for All
Authors: Jean Allen (Rochester), Peter M (Central New Jersey)
EL Lissitzky, The New Man, 1923
WHEREAS a truly democratic republic poses a major threat to the political domination of capital; and
WHEREAS in the United States, the withdrawal of the vote has been used to divide the working class and force disenfranchised parts of the working class into clandestine lives, broken off from the broader class; and
WHEREAS the removal of the right of migrants to vote in elections regardless of citizenship status has destroyed the capacity of a migrant politics, and has divided the working class in a manner very profitable for the capitalist class; and
WHEREAS the Republican Party has fully committed to anti-democratic politics with the introduction of more than 300 bills and counting, in 47 states, which target Black and brown communities in particular, as well as working class communities broadly, for voter suppression; and
WHEREAS the Democratic Party has joined in the Republican party’s attacks on migrants, and has moved to the right on our carceral system, leading to tens of thousands of people losing their voting rights and thus their ability to meaningfully control their communities; and
WHEREAS, DSA’s electoral successes are built, particularly at the national level, with Black and brown candidates running in districts that are majority People of Color, and we recognize that DSA wins when the working class can unite itself;
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that as a critical part of DSA’s anti-racist struggle, as a moral imperative as socialists, and as crux of our political organizing, we should create a body able to lead a series of targeted campaigns expanding voting rights to the incarcerated, formerly incarcerated, non-citizen residents, and people under the age of 18
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
The National Electoral Committee shall create a Democracy For All subcommittee
That subcommittee will be tasked with:
Connecting to the migrant rights & incarcerated peoples’ movements on the grounds of struggling for expanded suffrage,
Developing ‘suffrage campaigns’, defined as campaigns which expand voter rights to formerly incarcerated people, non-citizen residents, people under the age of 18, and currently incarcerated people, by providing
Legal support
Logistical support
Translation support for Spanish & Chinese
Coordinating volunteers for translations into other languages; mapping out what languages would be most appropriate for different state/local campaigns
Locating states & municipalities where the struggle for expanding suffrage would be achievable and bring together the movements of socialists & the oppressed
Designing a public pledge akin to the Strike Ready Pledge, committing electeds to joining the suffrage campaigns along with agitating the broader democracy content of our program.
