Red Madison Charter

Table of Contents

Rechartered: 2022-03-27 – official document

Article I: Name

The name of this group shall be the Red Madison Working Group, hereafter RMWG.

Article II: Scope

The purpose of the RMWG shall be to fulfill the following objectives:

  1. Produce a publication for MADSA, “Red Madison”, which shall exist as a website (www.redmadison.com), and may also be published as an email newsletter and PDF, which may be printed for chapter use.
  2. Write and solicit perspectives on area issues from a socialist perspective
  3. Educate about socialist ideas
  4. Communicate and explain DSA’s positions
  5. Serve as a space for reports and debates among members
  6. Act as a pluralistic socialist voice of the chapter, representing MADSA members
  7. Promote “Red Madison” through chapter communications and social media.
  8. The RMWG shall report to MADSA and its Executive Committee.
  9. To work towards producing a podcast using material and interviews from Red Madison, in addition to other sources.

Article III: Membership and Voting

  1. RMWG meetings shall be open to all MADSA members in good standing; RMWG may not prevent a DSA member from attending working group meetings. Any membership-related issues are to be brought to the MADSA Executive Committee. As a body of MADSA, RMWG is subject to the Harassment-Grievance process.
  2. Only MADSA members who have attended at least one (1) RMWG meeting in the preceding three (3) months to be considered voting members of RMWG.
  3. RMWG will make decisions in a democratic manner, voting on what actions they take. Any member may call for a vote on any decision, except for otherwise established in this charter. A simple majority will suffice for any decision. In the event of a tie, the Editor will make the final decision.
  4. RMWG will strive to have at least one meeting per month.

Article IV: Leadership

  1. MADSA shall elect one Editor-in-Chief or two Editors-in-Chief to oversee the operations of Red Madison and ensure the publication is produced regularly and in accordance with this charter.
    1. The Editor or Editors-in-Chief shall be responsible for coordinating the work of the group, including ensuring regular meetings of the working group, and communicating with the MADSA Executive Committee.
    2. The Editor or Editors-in-Chief shall have the final say in whether any articles submitted are fit to print, on the basis of either content or form.
    3. The Editor or Editors-in-Chief shall have the authority to take necessary actions between RMWG meetings to ensure publication. Whenever possible, this should be in consultation with RMWG.
    4. If there are two Editors-in-Chief, one Editor-in-Chief may carry on responsibilities in the absence of the other.
  2. Elections shall be held annually, ideally after the adoption or extension of charter.
  3. As a political position representing the chapter, voting for the Editor shall be open to all MADSA members in good standing, regardless of working group involvement.
  4. Vacancies shall be filled by the MADSA Executive Committee or a process they determine.
  5. Recall of the Editor shall commence upon petition of at least 25 MADSA members to the MADSA Executive Committee, who shall oversee a recall process.

Article V: Operation

A. Submissions

  1. All MADSA members shall have the right to submit articles or other media for consideration to Red Madison. Submissions shall be selected according to the discretion of the Red Madison Editor, but may not be dismissed on the basis of political disagreement within the bounds of DSA’s socialist politics or for an arbitrary reason. Submissions may be rejected if they are not of a sufficient quality to print, stray considerably from the core socialist politics of DSA, or if there is reason to believe publishing could cause considerable harm to MADSA.
  2. Non-members may submit articles for Red Madison, but shall not be afforded the same rights as members in considering publication.
  3. Upon submission to Red Madison, RMWG shall have the discretion to make edits as needed to bring a submission up to satisfactory quality for publication. Editors will make every effort to return pieces for rewriting if there are content or other substance issues, though RMWG reserves the right to make stylistic rewrites to meet deadlines.

B. Online Presence

RMWG’s Editor shall be granted access to MADSA’s Facebook, Twitter, MailChimp, and Action Network accounts for the purpose of promoting the publication, broadcasting events and soliciting submissions; the Editor may grant access to these channels to a designated working group member as needed. RMWG may curate other relevant articles to share as deemed relevant by the Red Madison Editor, though this will be in a limited capacity and should not be intrusive. Red Madison shall be empowered to create a dedicated social media presence to promote the publication.

Article V: Finances

  1. Red Madison requires $1000 to pay for WordPress hosting, continuing education, to hire a photographer, and pay select Red Madison contributors. Any additional funding request would be made to the MADSA Treasurer (under $100) or the membership.
  2. Red Madison finances are to be handled through MADSA’s Treasurer and should not be independently managed. Any funds raised by Red Madison shall be submitted to MADSA’s Treasurer; funds submitted are not for MADSA general purposes and are to be added to Red Madison’s ledger. MADSA’s Treasurer must disperse allocated funds as directed by the Red Madison Editor up to the approved budget amount.
  3. Red Madison’s Editor shall make requests for additional funds above their budget first to the MADSA Treasurer; any request above $150 must be referred to the MADSA membership for approval.

Article VI: Terms of Charter

  1. To last one year after the adoption of this charter, or until the next MADSA Convention Meeting, whichever is shorter.
  2. Red Madison will be governed by the Bylaws of DSA Madison, which describe in detail the operation and leadership selection of Working Groups.
  3. For the duration of this charter, Red Madison shall be empowered to represent itself as MADSA in creating events and materials.