While federal employees may contribute money to partisan candidates or political organizations, the Hatch Act expressly prohibits federal employees from soliciting, accepting, or receiving political contributions. This prohibition covers the content of your emails related to the mid-term election campaigns. For example, sending an email to a friend or family member encouraging them to donate to a campaign would violate the Hatch Act. So too would be forwarding on an email from a campaign to friends or family asking for a donation. But more importantly, even forwarding a partisan candidate’s official campaign website to family and friends could constitute a violation of the Hatch Act if the main page of that website immediately opens with a solicitation for a political contribution.
REMEMBER THE DEFAULT PENALTY FOR A FEDERAL EMPLOYEE WHO VIOLATES THE HATCH ACT IS REMOVAL!
For more information, contact the Jeffrey Law Group, PLLC, The Federal Employee’s Law Firm®, at 202.312.7100.