CIVIL SERVICE RULES

Political Activities of Officers and Employees

Rule Eighteen
POLITICAL ACTIVITIES

1801. Political Activities of Officers and Employees.

The rights of County officers and employees to register and vote as they choose shall not be infringed. County officers and employees may express their opinions on all political subjects without recourse against them.

No County officer or employee shall, however, engage in political activity of any kind during working hours. Such prohibited activity shall include, but is not limited to, soliciting money, influence, service, or any other valuable thing to aid, promote, or defeat any political committee or the nomination or election of any person to public office, while on the job during working hours. No person shall attempt to coerce, command, or require a person holding, or applying for, any position, office, or employment with the County to influence or give money, service, or other valuable thing to aid, promote, or defeat any political committee, or to aid, promote, or defeat the nomination or election of any person to public office.

No County officer or employee in the classified service in any department engaged in the administration of federal grant-in-aid programs shall take an active part in partisan political management or campaigns. Partisan politics is defined as representing a party any of whose candidates for Presidential elector received votes in the last preceding election at which presidential electors were selected. Such prohibited political activity includes in substance the activities prohibited employees in federally aided agencies under the Federal Hatch Political Activities Act; as amended, 5 U.S.C. 1501-1508.

Subject to all of the foregoing, any County employee or officer may seek appointment or election to any public position, office, or employment for which qualified.