Politics at Work as a Public Employee
The upcoming presidential election is foremost in the minds of many. Navigating political activities as public employees requires a clear understanding of the legal boundaries set by state and federal laws.
One of the most important points to remember is that while you have the right as a public employee to engage in political activities, there are strict prohibitions against doing so during working hours or while using public resources.
This means that while on duty, public employees must refrain from any political activities, including campaigning, distributing political materials, or using government property (such as phones, email systems, or vehicles) for political purposes.
Prohibited Activities
Officials and employees of a public agency may not:
Distribute campaign literature through the public agency’s internal mail system.
Place campaign literature on employee bulletin boards, on the public agency’s web page, or elsewhere on the public agency’s premises.
Place campaign bumper stickers on the public agency vehicles.
Make public appearances regarding campaigns during working hours - unless their comments are limited to communicating the fact that the public agency supports a ballot measure and providing “balanced” information regarding the measure (rather than advocating that people vote for the measure).
Make telephone calls regarding a campaign during work hours.
Walk precincts, draft campaign ads, or perform other campaign-related tasks during work hours, or assign subordinates to do the same.
Add a link from the public agency’s website to a campaign website.
Send or receive campaign-related e-mails on public agency computers.
Use public agency offices for campaign meetings.
Hold a campaign rally on the public agency premises.
Use public agency copy machines, telephones, fax machines, computers, etc., for campaign purposes.
Campaign while in uniform.
Permitted Activities
Officials and employees of a public agency may:
Work on the campaign during their personal time, including lunch hours, vacations, etc., and encourage other employees to do the same.
Make a campaign contribution using personal funds, and/or attend a campaign fundraiser during their personal time.
Make “advocacy” public appearances during their personal time.
Respond to telephone calls or letters regarding the campaign, as long as they limit their response to confirming that the public agency has endorsed the measure and presenting balanced information.
Have the public agency officially endorse the measure at a public meeting.
Discussing politics can be a delicate matter in a diverse environment, especially given our current political climate. While it's natural to have strong opinions about political issues, have those conversations outside of work, and not in the workplace.
Theresa Schultz
Senior Labor Representative