Resources for faculty and staff
Political Engagement by Public Employees
ASU personnel have the right to engage in political activities in their capacity as private citizens.
However, ASU employees are prohibited under state law from using university resources to attempt to influence the outcome of an election or the passage of legislation. That means employees cannot encourage people to vote for a particular candidate or support or oppose proposed or pending legislation while we are on duty in our ASU positions or using university resources.
ASU employees may:
- Vote.
- Speak or write, including on social media, regarding political and social causes, without suggesting or implying that they are speaking on behalf of ASU and without using university resources.
- Circulate or sign petitions, solicit or make campaign contributions, wear buttons and T-shirts, or engage in other campaign activities, as long as these activities are performed on their personal time (such as outside of work hours or when using vacation time) using personal resources.
- Receive emails on their ASU account that encourage people to vote in a particular way or support or oppose proposed or pending legislation.
- Place bumper stickers on their cars, even if they park on university property.
- Serve as advisors to student organizations that engage in election-related activities, as long as the students are choosing and directing those activities themselves.
- Research and teach students about political issues and current affairs without advocating that the students vote in a particular way in a candidate or ballot proposition election or introducing matters with no relevance to the course.
- Provide expert testimony or guidance on public policy to legislators or other state officers or employees on their behalf.
- Serve as appointees to government boards, commissions or advisory panels, subject to university policy requirements regarding outside employment and conflicts of interest.
- Use volunteer time to work as a poll worker (benefits-eligible staff)
ASU employees may not:
- Send or forward emails encouraging people to vote for or against a candidate or ballot proposition or support or oppose proposed or pending legislation using their ASU email accounts. This prohibition also covers the use of distribution lists created for official university business with students, faculty and staff.
- Use university resources — paid employee time, buildings, computers, photocopiers, office supplies, etc. — to encourage people to vote for or against a candidate or ballot proposition or support or oppose proposed or pending legislation.
- Speak in favor of or against a candidate or ballot proposition or proposed or pending legislation in their “official capacity” or on behalf of the university.
- Circulate petitions, solicit contributions, wear buttons and T-shirts, or engage in other campaign activity while on duty or in a classroom or laboratory, whether or not they are teaching at the time.
- Post campaign signs or literature in university buildings.
Permissible university activities
ASU and its employees may also engage in neutral activities, such as promoting voter registration regularly and hosting forums where all viewpoints of an election issue are provided an equal opportunity to be presented.
Student and community groups are authorized to use university facilities to engage in election-related activities and advocate for or against a specified public policy, provided that they comply with all campus access policies, which may include paying to use the facilities. Students may hang campaign and other political signs in their residence hall rooms.
References to ASU affiliation
University employees acting in their personal capacity may reference their university affiliation, such as in a social media profile or when listing credentials during legislative testimony. In that circumstance, they should be sure to clarify that they are speaking or acting on their behalf and not on behalf of ASU. Phrases such as “the opinions expressed are my own” or “affiliation provided for identification purposes only” can help make sure this is clear.
Requests to speak in classes
Student and community groups may request permission to make announcements in classes. Whether to grant such a request is at the faculty member’s discretion, exercising their judgment about whether the announcement is pertinent to the class and appropriate use of available time.
Faculty members should be evenhanded in granting or refusing requests from similar groups and not favoring any one position. Faculty members who grant such requests should clarify to their students that participating in or supporting the group is not required. Neither ASU nor the faculty member is endorsing the group by permitting an announcement to be made.
For other questions about specific activities, please contact your chair or director, who may contact the ASU Office of General Counsel for additional guidance.