DA GLOBAL VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES (VMF) CAUCUS — TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR)
The Veterans and Military Families Caucus is made up of Democrats Abroad (DA) members who are willing to advocate on issues important to veterans and their families.
Democrats Abroad (DA) honors the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces; their service deserves our deepest gratitude and respect. This caucus will work within DA to achieve this.
We share and adhere to the principles and demands expressed in the platforms of both the Democratic Party and DA regarding veterans, active military and their families.
The members of our armed forces, their families, and our caucus reflect equity, diversity, and inclusion. Discrimination, intolerance, hate speech, and bigotry have no place in the United States Armed Forces, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, or our caucus.
GOALS
∙Reach out to veterans, active duty and reserve military members and DoD civilians, as well as their families living abroad to encourage them to register to vote and to engage them in advocacy for our policy positions;
∙Provide a forum for DA members to understand better the issues and concerns affecting our military forces, veterans, and their families outside of the United States;
ACTIONS
∙Facilitate get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts for veterans, military families and DoD civilians; also develop sensible and sensitive strategies for encouraging active service members at U.S. overseas military bases to vote;
∙Exchange information and concerns with other DA caucuses and interest groups regarding relevant issues and shared concerns to ensure a positive impact on veterans and military families;
∙Organize participation in Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies at U.S. landmarks abroad such as military cemeteries, battle sites, places of historical U.S. military significance, and other suitable venues;
∙Establish and maintain contact with other American political organizations to find areas of joint concern regarding U.S. veterans and military families;
∙Always strive to improve the DA Platform and organize advocacy efforts for issues pertinent to veterans, active duty military, and their families living abroad;
RESPONSIBILITIES
∙Work within the DA structure and its rules;
∙Report to the DA International Chair and/or the Democratic Party Committee Abroad (DPCA) Executive Committee at regular intervals; seek and follow guidance from the International Chair and the International Chair's designees prior to making public comments, posting statements on a website or social media, or engaging in projects such as GOTV, guest speakers, or events coordinated with local groups of Democrats Abroad.
∙Collaborate with other DA caucuses and councils;
∙Encourage our members, especially veterans, to run for DA leadership positions including, but not limited to, delegates to the Democratic National Convention and country committee leadership roles;
∙Provide assistance to country committees and local chapters interested in creating a VMF Caucus and support for their caucus activities;
∙Communicate with members and conduct meetings on a regular basis (at least quarterly) via web conferencing platforms; meetings will be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
∙Work with the DA IT team to create and maintain a dedicated VMF web page on the DA website;
∙Utilize social media;
∙Urge caucus members and all U.S. citizens abroad to vote in all U.S. elections and primaries when eligible to do so;
∙Review and update the VMF Caucus Terms of Reference every two years and submit to the DPCA Executive Committee for approval;
ORGANIZATION
Membership in the Caucus is open to all members of Democrats Abroad.
The Caucus will have the following leadership structure: a Steering Committee consisting of a Chair and 3-4 regional representatives, in which the 3-4 regional representatives are each from a different region whenever possible, and the remaining Steering Committee consisting of at least 5 at-large members, whenever possible, and not more than 15 at-large members; the Steering Committee will make every attempt to include members from each region whenever possible. The Chair will be appointed by the DPCA Chair. The at-large members shall be appointed by the Chair or a majority vote of the Steering Committee.
The Steering Committee will assist the Chair in determining members’ roles within the VMF Caucus. Every attempt will be made to include at least one liaison from the Americas region, the Asia-Pacific region and the European, Middle Eastern and African region.
Working with the Steering Committee, the Chair will determine meeting agenda items and caucus activities. Information about actions pertaining to the caucus such as leadership changes, advocacy activities, membership numbers, GOTV efforts, and other related items will be provided to the DPCA Executive Committee for comments and guidance, prior to the execution of any plans or statements, as the DPCA Executive Committee deems appropriate. The Chair shall convey all written comments and guidance to the entire Steering Committee.
The Chair will consider ideas and other information from the membership to determine caucus activities and delegate responsibilities to the membership on a volunteer basis, as compatible with the comments and guidance of the DPCA Executive Committee.
The Chair will participate in monthly DA caucus leaders’ meetings and provide updates on caucus activities. In the event the Chair is unable to attend, efforts will be made to ensure that a designated member of the caucus is present.
Every attempt will be made to have at least one Caucus representative attend each DA Annual General Meeting, either in person or online, who will provide the membership with caucus updates.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
VMF Caucus guiding principles are based on the Democratic National Committee’s agenda on veterans and military families’ issues, concerns and objectives.
VMF Caucus Guiding Principles are the following:
∙Support all efforts to ensure that veterans’ and military families’ issues, concerns and agendas are championed.
∙Actively support DA Global agenda on GOTV with a focus on active duty military, veterans and military families and DoD civilians.
∙Sponsor and advocate for veterans’ and military families’ concerns and issues.
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VMF Caucus Terms of Reference (TOR) revised January 19, 2024.
Original Terms of Reference approved May 2019
VMF Caucus TOR Committee:
Terese Sarno, Robert Scott, Andrew Anderson