Employees
Election Campaigns — Hatch Act and Other Requirements
Hatch Act Requirements for Postal Service
Employees
The Hatch Act affects some political activities, including
off-duty activities, for Postal ServiceTM employees. The
Office of Special Counsel, which investigates possible
Hatch Act violations, has prepared examples of permitted
and prohibited activities for federal, including Postal
Service, employees:
Postal Service employees may:
• Be candidates for public office in nonpartisan
elections.
• Register and vote as they choose.
• Assist in voter registration drives.
• Express opinions about candidates and issues.
• Contribute money to political organizations.
• Attend political fundraising functions.
• Attend and be active at political rallies and meetings.
• Join and be an active member of a political party or
club.
• Sign nominating petitions.
• Campaign for or against referendum questions, constitutional amendments, and municipal ordinances.
• Campaign for or against candidates in partisan
elections.
• Make campaign speeches for candidates in partisan
elections.
• Distribute campaign literature in partisan elections.
• Hold office in political clubs or parties.
But, Postal Service employees may not:
• Be candidates for public office in partisan elections.
• Use their official authority or influence to interfere
with an election.
• Collect political contributions unless both individuals
are members of the same federal labor organization
or employee organization and the one solicited is not
a subordinate employee.
• Knowingly solicit or discourage the political activity of
any person who has business before the agency.
• Engage in political activity while on duty.
• Engage in political activity in any government office.
• Engage in political activity while wearing an official
uniform.
• Engage in political activity while using a government
vehicle.
• Solicit political contributions from the general public.
• Wear political buttons on duty.
For further information about the Hatch Act, please contact the Field Law Office that serves your location, or contact the Ethics Helpline by telephone at 202-268-6346 or by
e-mail at ethics.help@usps.gov.
Campaigning on Postal Service Premises
Postal Service regulations (see Postal Operations
Manual 124.54; 39 CFR 232.1; and Poster 7, Rules and
Regulations Governing Conduct on Postal Property) prohibit campaigning for election to public office on leased or
owned Postal Service property. Tell individuals who ask
about the availability of Postal Service property for such
purposes about the prohibition, and give them a copy of the
regulations. The following points will help you interpret and
apply the regulations:
• The focus of the regulations is to identify activities
that are "prohibited." Activities that are not prohibited
by any of the regulations are permitted. For example,
in the context of political campaigning, informational
leafleting would be permitted, so long as the information in the leaflet itself is not political campaigning and
the leafleting was carried out in a way that does not
disrupt Postal Service business.
• Campaigning for election to public office is prohibited
on Postal Service property, even if the candidate is
independent of any political party.
• The regulations do not prohibit all activities related to
political issues. For example, distributing literature
pertaining to a referendum or ballot measure is
permitted. The regulations do prohibit, however, the
solicitation of signatures on petitions, polls, and
surveys.
• The regulations prohibit depositing posters or literature on Postal Service property, obstructing entrances, any activity that tends to impede or disturb
the public in transacting Postal Service business, the
sale of goods, and the solicitation of contributions on
Postal Service property.
• The regulations cover activity only on Postal Service
premises. Activity outside Postal Service property,
even if it affects our premises, is not governed by our
regulations.
— Ethics and Federal Government,
Law Department, 10-12-06
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