Purpose

To provide guidelines for the political activities of employees in accordance with Federal requirements.

Applicability

The provisions of this policy apply to all University employees, regardless of employment category.

General Provisions

No University employee shall hold an elective office in the local government, nor shall he or she solicit any contributions or assessments, or services, nor publicly endorse any candidate for any local elective office. A public endorsement is defined as making a public campaign speech or statements to or via the news media endorsing a candidate.

Political Rights of Employees

Nothing herein contained shall affect the right of an employee to contribute to, hold membership in, serve as an officer of, or support a political party, to vote as he or she chooses, to support or campaign for local or national political candidates, to express privately his or her opinions on all political subjects and candidates, to maintain political neutrality, or to attend political meetings.

Hatch Act Requirements

Any University employee who, as a normal and foreseeable incident to his or her principal job or position, performs duties in connection with an activity financed in whole or in part by federal loans or grants, comes under the Federal Hatch Act which prohibits the following:

• Use of official authority to influence for the purpose of interfering with an election or nomination or office, or affecting the result thereof.

• Directly or indirectly coercing, attempting to coerce, or advising any other such officer or employee to pay, lend or contribute any part of his or her salary or compensation or anything else of value to any party, committee, organization, agency or person for political purposes.

• Active participation in political management or in political campaigns.