# List of conventions of the Democratic Socialists of America

This is a list of conventions of the Democratic Socialists of America. Conventions generally are held biennially; although special conventions can be held any time, no special conventions have been called in DSA's history. The convention is the highest governing body of DSA.
Convention delegates are elected from the general membership of individual chapters. Chapters are allocated a number of delegates proportional to their membership. The convention elects the leadership of the national organization, the National Political Committee, as well as setting political priorities for the following term. The National Political Committee is elected via single transferrable vote. DSA conventions use the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised for their parliamentary procedure.

## List of Democratic Socialists of America conventions

| Dates | Location | Delegates | Reports | Notes |
| March 20–21, 1982 | Detroit, Michigan | | | Founding convention of DSA, merger of NAM and DSOC. |
| October 14–16, 1983 | New York City, New York | | | 400 delegates & observers attended the 1983 convention. |
| November 8–11, 1985 | Berkeley, California | | | Cornel West spoke at the 1985 convention. |
| December 4–6, 1987 | Washington, D.C. | | | The 1987 convention endorsed Jesse Jackson for president. Jackson requested DSA not endorse him. |
| November 10–12, 1989 | Baltimore, Maryland | | | This convention was the first convention to be held after the death of Michael Harrington, founder of DSOC and DSA. |
| November 8–11, 1991 | Chicago, Illinois | | | |
| November 11–14, 1993 | Manhattan Beach, California | | | The 1993 convention endorsed the statehood of Washington D.C. |
| November 10–12, 1995 | Chevy Chase, Maryland | | | DSA hosted a "Breaking Bread" event hosted by DSA honorary co-chairs Cornel West and Barbara Ehrenreich with 500-600 attendees. The 1995 convention proposed a socialist think-tank to promote model legislation, akin to the American Legislative Exchange Council. |
| November 7–9, 1997 | Columbus, Ohio | | | |
| November 11–14, 1999 | San Diego, California | | | |
| November 9–11, 2001 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | | | Convention passed a resolution condemning the September 11, 2001 attacks while condemning restrictions on civil liberties in the name of fighting terrorism, and racist scapegoating of Arab Americans and American Muslims. |
| November 14–16, 2003 | Detroit, Michigan | | Main reportOutgoing NPC report | |
| November 11–13, 2005 | Los Angeles, California | | | |
| November 9–11, 2007 | Atlanta, Georgia | | Outgoing NPC report | Bernie Sanders and Bill Fletcher spoke at the 2007 convention to an audience of 300. |
| November 13–15, 2009 | Evanston, Illinois | | | Harold Meyerson and Kim Bobo spoke at the 2009 convention. The convention discussed issues such as how DSA and the rest of the country should respond to the Great Recession, and health care. |
| November 11–13, 2011 | Vienna, Virginia | about 100 | Main reportMinutes | The 2011 Convention was held under a banner proclaiming "Obama is No Socialist, But We Are". The 2011 Convention voted to support Occupy Wall Street and to formalize DSA's support for gay liberation and LGBTQ rights. |
| October 24–27, 2013 | Emeryville, California | about 100 | Director's reportPriorities report | 1/3 of the delegates were under 35, a major shift for previously elder-dominated DSA. |
| November 13–15, 2015 | Bolivar, Pennsylvania | about 120 | Main report | The 2015 Convention failed a resolution to exit the Socialist International. Convention programming included panels on how DSA should orient itself around the 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign for president and how DSA can diversify its membership. |
| August 4–6, 2017 | Chicago, Illinois | over 800 | Minutes | Over 100 chapters sent delegates. The 2017 Convention voted to exit the Socialist International and endorse the BDS movement. The convention was the first convention since Donald Trump's election as president, and DSA saw massive growth as a result. The position of honorary chair was removed. |
| August 4–6, 2019 | Atlanta, Georgia | 1,056 | Main reportDirector's report | The 2019 Convention was the largest decision-making convention of socialists in the United States since the 1940s. The 2019 Convention voted to endorse the Green New Deal, to demand decriminalization of sex work. The 2019 Convention passed a resolution that, if Bernie Sanders did not win the Democratic presidential nomination, DSA would not endorse any other candidate in the presidential election. |
| August 1–8, 2021 | Virtual due to COVID, held on Zoom | 1,436 | DemLeft issueDirector's reportMinutes | 176 chapters sent delegates. The 2021 Convention voted to affiliate with the São Paulo Forum. |
| August 4–6, 2023 | Chicago, Illinois | 1,082 | DemLeft issueDirector's report | DSA's BDS Working Group was moved to its International Committee instead of being an independent body at convention. |