Hatch Act and Activities After Election Day

The Office of Special Counsel (OSC), the independent government agency that enforces the Hatch Act, recently issued a new interpretation about after Election Day activities that constitute political activity and therefore are not permitted while federal employees are on duty or on government property.

Last month, the OSC issued a notice that after Election Day, Democratic nominees Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, Republican nominees Donald Trump and JD Vance, and any third party candidates remain current or contemporaneous political figures.

That means that even after the election it is prohibited for federal employees on duty or in the workplace to wear or display any campaign or election related items associated with these individuals, including, but not limited to, shirts, hats, buttons, signs, stickers, lanyards, or mugs. 

If you have any questions about this, please contact your regional NLC representative or e-mail [email protected].