Associates Can Be Politically Active—But There Are Some Boundaries

Jessie, an Exchange associate of two years, has increased her involvement in politics during the past few years. In her off time, she’s been volunteering at the local voter registration office. She’s also been attending various political fundraisers and campaigning for her candidates of choice. At one of these fund-raisers, she wore her Exchange shirt.

She’s super excited about the upcoming election and wants all her friends to vote as well. She’s been posting comments on her Twitter account (which happens to show her as an Exchange associate), encouraging others to vote and donate to candidates and causes dear to her heart. At work, she’s been doing the same thing, reminding her co-workers whom they should be voting for, in addition to wearing buttons for her chosen candidate and sending around mass emails about which candidates to vote for.

Finally, she’s considering running for partisan office in the near future. Has Jessie abided by all the rules regarding federal/Exchange employees and political activities? Let’s take a closer look.

In general, Exchange employees may engage in “political activity” on behalf of a political party or partisan political group or candidate in a partisan election, as long as it’s not on duty or in the workplace.

Thus, Jessie may register and vote as she chooses. She may assist in voter registration drives. She may contribute money to partisan groups and candidates in partisan elections. She may attend political fund-raisers and rallies/meetings. She is allowed to campaign for or against candidates in partisan elections. And she may express her opinions on political issues in her personal capacity.

However, Jessie overstepped her boundaries in a few crucial areas. First of all, she should not have attended the political fund-raiser while wearing an Exchange shirt, as her views could easily have been imputed to the Exchange. And while she is allowed to express her personal views on public issues or political candidates on social media, here she was required to post a disclaimer, clearly and prominently stating that the views expressed were hers and hers alone and not of the Exchange or DoD.

Furthermore, Jessie is prohibited from soliciting, accepting or receiving political contributions, on social media or elsewhere. She is never allowed to engage in political activity while on-duty or in a federal building, so no button-wearing or sending out political emails. Finally, the rules on political activity restrict federal employees from running for partisan political office.

Though it’s important to remember the rules regarding political activity in the workplace, the Exchange encourages all of its associates to exercise their civic duty and get out the vote. At the same time, it’s important to remember that when engaging in political activity, you may be representing the Exchange, even if you’re not aware of it. If you have any specific questions, please reach out to ethics@aafes.com.