Know the Rules
With greater involvement by Letter Carriers in political campaigns and party organizations, it has become increasingly important to review the rules by which we as Federal employees can participate in elections and partisan political campaigns. Specifically, Letter Carriers and all union officials and volunteers need to be aware of both the Hatch Act and the Federal Election Campaign Act (or FECA), the laws that govern our contributions in the election process. Following these guidelines allows us to reach our members and the general public, thereby maximizing our efforts to elect pro-Letter Carrier and pro-worker candidates to all levels of government.

These pages on the Hatch Act and the Federal Election Campaign Act address many of the issues Letter Carriers will face—along with many of the issues we have heard about from our members over the past few years. It does not refer to all types of Federal employees. For example, if you have a spouse who works for the Department of Justice's Criminal Division, your spouse would have a different and more constrictive set of rules governing what he or she may do for a political campaign. The full list of restricted agencies along with more information regarding the Hatch Act and FECA can be found on the Web pages of the Office of Special Counsel and the Federal Election Commission.