Chicago DSA proudly endorses and joins the Bring Chicago Home coalition.

On March 19th, Chicagoans have the opportunity to vote to restructure the Real Estate Transfer Tax (RETT), a one-time tax on properties when they are sold, to create substantial, legal, and dedicated funding to provide permanent, affordable housing for unhoused Chicagoans.

In a nutshell, by voting YES for Ballot Question 1, Chicagoans tell City Council they want the following:

Why is it that 68,000 of our neighbors are experiencing homelessness in the third-largest city of the richest country in the world? Homelessness is not inevitable, nor a moral failing; it is the result of an economic system that turns a basic human right - shelter - into a commodity to be traded like poker chips for private profit by corporations and the 1%.

As socialists, we believe that housing is a human right. Any system built on extreme inequalities of wealth and power is unjust and unsustainable. We believe the best way to address the root cause of inequality is to redistribute wealth and power away from a tiny, wealthy minority, and back into the hands of the working class majority.

About 4.2% of properties - many of them corporate-owned office buildings, and not individual homes - sold every year will see a sales tax increase should Ballot Question 1 for Bring Chicago Home pass. This initiative will generate over $100 million annually to provide permanent, affordable housing and additional services to help house and support our unhoused neighbors.

We urge you to join us and the Bring Chicago Home coalition in knocking doors, making phone calls to get out the vote, and making a personal plan to vote in Chicago’s March 19th Primary.

To get involved:


Chicago DSA is no longer accepting applications for endorsement for March 2024 Primary Elections.

If you are a primary election winner and are interested in seeking endorsement from Chicago DSA for the 2024 General Election, please review the information below and reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions.


What campaigns will Chicago DSA consider endorsing?

Chicago DSA will consider endorsing candidates whose district partially or completely falls within Cook County. Our members will also consider endorsing ballot measures that would be effective within Cook County.

Why apply for a Chicago DSA endorsement?

Democratic Socialists have helped elect alderpeople, local school council members, and Cook County Commissioners. Endorsed candidates can expect material support in gathering petition signatures, canvassing and phone banking voters, as well as monetary contributions from members and the chapter’s PAC. If you believe that ALL people should be democratically deciding how to best meet human needs (not just the rich and powerful), we would like to hear from you! Please reach out to the Electoral Working Group for an endorsement application at [email protected].

How does our endorsement process work?

Chicago DSA democratically decides on campaigns we endorse in election cycles. Because of this, the endorsement process is completed 1-2 months after the endorsement application deadline. In general, Chicago DSA follows the below process for considering endorsements:

  1. Candidates seeking endorsement must fill out and return a candidate questionnaire to the Electoral Working Group by a set deadline. This deadline is set by the Electoral Working Group and depends on the election schedules, and whether endorsements are requested in time for petition season (‘pre-petition’ endorsement) or later on, closer to election day (‘post-petition’ endorsement). The questionnaire can be requested by emailing the Chicago DSA Electoral Working Group at [email protected].

  2. The Electoral Working Group reviews candidate questionnaires and then votes on whether to bring each candidate in for an interview.

  3. The Electoral Working Group then votes on whether to advance interviewed candidates to the general membership for a vote on endorsement. Candidates not advanced by the Electoral Working Group may also be advanced by a vote of the Executive Committee of Chicago DSA.

  4. Finally, the entire chapter votes on endorsement, and candidates are notified of the result.