Harding, Mitch email- Hatch Act Harding Civ Mitchell R
From: Seibert, Corinne <cseibert @osc.gov> on behalf of HatchAct <Hatchact @osc.gov>
Sent: Monday, February 04, 2013 8:20 AM
To: Harding Civ Mitchell R
Subject: RE: Running for Municipal Office
Hello Sergeant Harding—
The Hatch Act (5 U.S.C. §§ 7321-7326) governs the political activity of federal civilian executive branch employees,
including civilian employees of the Department of Defense. The Act permits most covered employees to actively
participate in partisan political management and partisan political campaigns. Employees, however, are prohibited
from, among other things, being candidates for public office in partisan elections, i.e. an election in which any candidate
represents, for example,the Republican or Democratic Party. 5 U.S.C. § 7323(a)(3). Thus, if the election for city
commissioner is partisan, then the Act would prohibit you from being a candidate. The Act would permit your candidacy
only if the city commissioner election were nonpartisan, i.e., none of the candidates were to run in affiliation with a
political party.
Best regards,
Corinne R. Seibert
Attorney, Hatch Act Unit
U.S. Office of Special Counsel
Original Message
From: Harding Civ Mitchell R [mailto:Mitchell.Harding @bic.usmc.mil]
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2013 9:05 AM
To: HatchAct
Subject: Running for Municipal Office
I am a Government Employee GS 9 employed by the Marine Corps Police Department in Jacksonville Florida. I am
interested in running for City Commissioner (councilman)in the jurisdiction in which I live and was informed that this
may be in violation of the Hatch Act could you please clarify this for me.
Mitchell R Harding, Sgt
Marine Corps Police, Blount Island
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