Ask FELTG: Is Driving a Car with a Political Bumper Sticker a Hatch Act Violation?
October 22, 2024
There are 14 days left until the Presidential election. As we tick closer to Election Day, we continue to receive Hatch Act-related questions via our Ask FELTG feature. The most recent question:
Is there an issue if an employee’s bumper sticker, on a personal vehicle, said “Let’s go Brandon” and the employee drove to and from work in uniform?
The question was a follow-up to our recent interview with the Office of Special Counsel’s Hatch Act Unit Chief Ana Galindo-Marrone. Training Director Dan Gephart asked Galindo-Marrone about political bumper stickers on cars in the agency’s parking lot. She replied:
While the Hatch Act prohibits Federal employees from engaging in political activity in a Federal workplace, the Hatch Act regulations specifically state that an employee may place a partisan political bumper sticker on his personal vehicle and park that vehicle in a Federal parking lot or garage.
Even if an employee has bumper stickers for two different candidates on their car, we do not believe it violates the Hatch Act. Employees must be cautioned, though, against displaying other partisan political materials, or even bumper stickers, in such a way that makes the vehicle appear to be a campaign mobile.
“Let’s go Brandon” is a partisan bumper sticker and it’s, apparently, the only one on this Fed’s car. So, the question gets to whether you can drive the car with the bumper sticker while wearing your agency’s uniform.
We followed back up with the OSC and received this reply:
The Hatch Act would not prohibit a Federal employee who is wearing an official uniform from driving their personal vehicle that displays partisan bumper stickers, provided the employee is not using the vehicle for official purposes.
Have a question? Ask FELTG.
The information presented is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. Contacting FELTG in any way/format does not create the existence of an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, you should contact an attorney.
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