November 03, 2016
Prohibited political activity reminder
With the World Series wrapping up this week and the Nov. 8 election next Tuesday, the university’s ethics office wants to share a few reminders related to political activity and university employees’ roles. All of these rules should be familiar, as they stem from the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act and were included in your ethics trainings.
As state employees, we are a team of public servants working for our fellow citizens. Whether you’re a Cardinals or Cubs fan (or could care less about baseball), one thing we can all agree on is that state property and resources -- including our compensated time -- should only be used for the benefit of the taxpayers, and not for the benefit of any campaign or political organization.
State employees may not perform any prohibited political activities during state-compensated time, on state property, or using state resources.
State employees may:
- Engage in political activity on their own time, including state holidays, vacation, personal, or compensatory time off (but not sick time), including:
a. Voting, registering voters, or signing petitions.
b. Making a campaign contribution.
c. Volunteering with a candidate or political party
State employees may not:
- Engage in political activity on compensated time, including:
a. Planning or holding a political meeting.
b. Distributing or posting flyers, or sending emails, with any political or campaign material.
c. Using personal phone to make political calls or send political emails while at work.
For more information, please see the 2016 Guide to State Employee’s Political Activity from the Office of Executive Inspector General. For more information, contact Michelle Taylor, executive director of compliance and ethics, at 618/536-3461.