Have you ever wanted to show your support for a political candidate who's
running for elected office, but wondered whether that would violate political
activities rules for federal employees? Have you worried that supporting a
campaign by sharing a social media post might get you into trouble?
It can be a tough balancing act. And the Hatch Act rules that govern these
questions can be confusing if you're not familiar with them In this video we'll
help you understand the Hatch Act so that you can participate in the
political process to the full extent permissible under the law and make the
best decisions so you don't risk disciplinary action. Let's start by going
over three key ways to avoid violating the Hatch Act. First, don't engage in
political activity while on duty or in your official capacity while in a
federal building or government leased workspace or using your official
authority to influence an election. This means, for example, that you cannot use
official social media to send messages advocating for the success or defeat of
a candidate or a political party. You also cannot speak at a political
campaign event in your official capacity or use your government title at a
campaign event and you cannot ask your subordinate employees to go to a
campaign event or engage in political activity. Here are some examples of
conduct that violates the Hatch Act: wearing a candidate's campaign button or
hat at work displaying campaign posters in your government office encouraging
co-workers to vote for or against a particular candidate in the workplace
Second, don't run as a candidate for partisan political office while you're a
federal employee. And finally, 3, don't ask for or receive any campaign donations at
any time. This ban against federal employees engaging in political campaign
fundraising is very strict and applies 24/7, even when you're off duty and not
in a federal building. With these three principles, you should
have the essential tools to ensure you observe the Hatch Act. Let's test your
understanding with a few scenarios. Scenario 1, you're an employee at work
and you receive an email on your official government email account the
email requests a contribution to a political candidate and it contains a
direct link to the candidate's donation page. The email also asks you to forward
it to others. Do the rules allow you to support the candidate by forwarding this
email? The answer is No. You'd be engaging in political activities while in a
federal office and you would violate the fundraising ban by forwarding the
political email. Now, let's look at a slightly different scenario.
What if you received the same email on your personal account from your personal
home computer. Could you forward that email? Again, the answer is no. Why? Because
the email is a political fundraising request and the Hatch Act bans political
campaign fundraising at all times even when you're off duty and not in a
federal building. Finally, let's look at a third scenario imagine that you're on
your personal Facebook account and a friend posts an invitation to a partisan
political fundraiser. Reading the post doesn't violate the Hatch Act, but can
you like the post? Again the answer is no. Why? Because as soon as you like the post
it can be seen by your Facebook friends and you'll have violated the Hatch Acts
prohibition against soliciting political contributions. In cases like these, it's
safer to "look, but don't like". These rules apply to employees who are considered to
be "less restricted." The Hatch Act rules are even more stringent for career
members of the Senior Executive Service and for Administrative Law Judges. There
are many ways USDA employees can get answers to their questions. You can:
Contact the USDA Office of Ethics and speak to an advisor. Visit the Ethics
page of USDA's official website or view the Office of Ethics videos posted on
USDA's official YouTube page. All federal employees who have questions about the
Hatch Act can contact the US Office of Special Counsel --'s Hatch Act unit to
learn more about the Hatch Act or any other Federal Ethics rules. Please
download the free USDA Ethics mobile app, on any smartphone by searching "USDA
Ethics." We're the USDA Office of Ethics and we're here to help.