Mississippi Advisory Opinions June 15, 1995: AGO 95-0338 (June 15, 1995)

Advisory Opinion Text

S. M. Pittman

Town Clerk of Beaumont

P.O. Box 518

Beaumont, Mississippi 38423

Re: Town employee supporting electorial candidates

Dear Mr. Pittman:

Attorney General Mike Moore has received your letter of request and has assigned it to me for research and reply. Your letter states:

“Is there a law that forbids any Town employee from openly supporting a candidate for an elective office in any election whether the election be Municipal, County or State?”

In response to your inquiry, the answer is in the negative. Currently, there are no state statutory limitations forbidding employees of a code charter municipality from openly supporting electoral candidates. However, campaigning activity must take place during the employees' own time and not during municipal work hours. Municipal civil service employees may be subject to regulations restricting or prohibiting certain political activities. Also, municipal employees covered by the federal Hatch Act would be prohibited from being candidates in partisan elections.

Sincerely,

Mike Moore, Attorney General.

Phil Carter, Assistant Attorney General.