Guidance for Employees Engaging in Political Activities

Lab employees are free to engage in political advocacy as individuals, but should be aware of the prohibition on engaging in political activities at work or by using any Department of Energy or University of California assets, resources, or space to conduct and aid political activities. In the Lab’s pursuit of science solutions as part of a taxpayer-funded institution, it is the responsibility of all employees to ensure that the Lab remains neutral in political matters and that state and federal resources are not used for political advocacy or expression. Doing so is in violation of Lab policy and in some instances is against federal law.

Take a moment to get familiarized with the key elements of existing policies and a few examples of permitted and prohibited activities below. In general, the policies do not permit the use of Lab resources, staffing, funding, systems, or materials in activities that might reasonably be viewed as partisan or political in nature.

Lab employees may:

Lab employees should not:

Use personal resources (e.g., social media accounts and personal devices) on their own time to engage in political advocacy or expression Factually identify their Lab affiliation, title, and/or role, but must state clearly that they are speaking for themselves and not on behalf of the Lab when participating in political activities (e.g., advocacy, lobbying, endorsement) Review and familiarize themselves with the Lab’s policies, including the Ethics and Conduct Policy

Act or appear to be acting in their Lab role or as a Lab spokesperson when supporting or promoting political candidates, positions, or viewpoints Support or oppose particular candidates or ballot measures using Lab time or equipment (e.g., facilities, computers, email, letterhead, networking and IT resources, Lab-sponsored social media accounts, Lab Zoom accounts, etc.) Act on behalf of the Lab when communicating with state or federal officials unless authorized Engage in unacceptable use of Lab IT in a manner that can offend community members such as inflammatory language and images (e.g., Zoom backgrounds)

Resources

• Acceptable Use of IT
• Social Media Policies and Guidelines
• Media Interactions and External Communications Policy
• Elements Comments Policy
• Policy Area – Public Information and External Relations
  • Use of Berkeley Lab Name, Logo, Letterhead, and Brand
  • Use of Lab Photographs and Images
• Cost Allowability

Lab employees may contact GCR at jtnurse@lbl.gov for any additional questions.

For those who have a UC appointment, UC has developed guidelines that are intended to assist in drawing the difficult distinction between legitimate informational activities and unlawful campaign activities. Refer to the guidance here for more information. If there are any additional questions, please contact the Office of Government and Community Relations at gcr@berkeley.edu.