Protocol for Election Season and Elected Official Engagement

Protocol for Election Season

Augusta University fully supports and encourages its employees to fulfill their civic obligations and become engaged in the political processes of society. The following is how faculty and staff may appropriately engage in political activities within guidelines that are established by the University and University System of Georgia.

• Employees are prohibited from using state property, resources, or materials (including work email) or work time to communicate personal political views or in conjunction with any political campaigning.
• Employees are free to express their own opinions and may participate in political functions as a personal activity but not on the behalf of Augusta University or under the color of office or position.
• Employees may seek and hold elective office at other than state and federal levels or seek and hold appointive office, when doing so does not conflict with employee's duties and responsibilities to Augusta University or the University System.
• Employees may not hold elective political office at the state or federal level.
• Employees may not manage or take an active part in a political campaign that will interfere with the performance or duties for which he or she receives compensation.
• A candidate for or holder of an elected political office, federal or state, may not employed or hold a faculty, staff or other position at any institution within the University System of Georgia.
• An employee who seeks elective political office, state or federal, must first request a leave of absence without pay prior to qualification as a candidate in a primary or general election and ending after the general or final election. If the employee is elected, the employee must resign prior to assuming office.
• Political campaign solicitation and fundraising are prohibited on Augusta University property or under the color of office or position.

The Office of the Government Relations is the official liaison between the Augusta University community and our federal, state and local governments, and is a critical resource in managing these relationships.

Protocol for Inviting Elected Officials

Any individuals or entities, during the course and within the scope of their responsibilities at Augusta University who wish to issue invitations to the members or staff of the U.S. Executive Branch, U.S. Senate or Congress, the Georgia Governor’s office, state legislators, state boards, commissions or committees are requested to notify the Office of Government Relations as soon as practicable, and, if at all possible, not less than two weeks prior to such invitation.

In addition, testimony made within the scope of an individual’s responsibilities at Augusta University before local, state or federal bodies, or other communication on behalf of professional societies, or other academic organizations to elected officials, shall be coordinated with the Office of Government Relations. In this case, “coordinated” simply means advance notification of at least three business days.

When considering invitations to public officials, all schools, departments, institutes, student groups and other sponsoring units are required to contact the Office of Government Relations. University policies on communication with government officials in no way restrict the right of any employee from communicating their personal opinions with government officials. However, when communicating personal opinions, it is the responsibility of all employees not to represent their personal opinions as positions or policies of the University unless the President has specifically authorized them to do so. University employees should use University letterhead nor electronic mail sent through their employer’s mail servers to communicate their personal opinions or positions on political issues.

Protocol for Communications and Interactions with Elected and Government Officials

All contacts with government and elected officials and their staff must be cleared in advance through the Office of Government Relations (GR), including invitations to campus functions.

Also, if an AU employee is contacted by an elected official or staff person for any reason, the employee should immediately notify GR. Adherence to this policy will help ensure that communications with elected and government officials are clear, coordinated, and reflect the institutional views and priorities of AU. Moreover, working with GR will help ensure that all AU personnel and the university stay in compliance with disclosure laws. Failure to comply with these laws could expose individuals and AU to civil and criminal penalties.

Since AU is a registered lobbying organization under federal law, it must comply with the requirement set forth in the Federal Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. GR is responsible for ensuring that AU complies with this law, including filing accurate quarterly reports of all AU lobbying-related costs and contacts. Thank you for your cooperation in disseminating this information.

Protocol for Hosting Elected Officials

The following protocol is meant to serve as a means to establish, maintain and enhance relationships. This protocol provides guidelines to be used when planning official functions, visits and events with elected officials. Protocol is about building relationships and facilitating positive outcomes for the parties involved. The importance of protocol in fostering positive relations and outcomes should not be underestimated or overlooked. This protocol will provide guidance to planning, organizing and conducting various functions and protocol-related activities. The Office of Government Relations is your resource for these visits.

Prior to extending an invitation to such officials, a faculty or staff member should consult with the Office of Government Relations.

Key Considerations should be given to the following:

• Purpose of the Visit:
• Campaign visits are not allowed
• Official federal staff email addresses end with @mail.house.gov, @name.senate.gov, or some form of .gov. This means they are official federal employees. State employees will have the same @house.ga.gov or @senate.ga.gov
• Campaign staff will have emails that are @teamNAME or @WinGeorgia or @NAMEforsenate or @NAMEforHouse or @NameForPresident. These are emails that you will inevitably receive and will invite you to an event, ask for money, etc. If you receive this type of communication to your official augusta.edu email, you should not respond or forward on your official email account.
• Identify any cultural or political issues to avoid the potential for embarrassment or incident
• Arrival and departure times should be considered and built into the program
• Transportation/logistics during the visit
• Security needed for the visit
• Media Coverage and Press Conferences and Locations
• Finalizing and disseminating the program

Whether any activity constitutes impermissible participation or intervention in a political campaign depends on all the facts and circumstances of the situation.

Once the draft program has been developed and reviewed with the Office of Government Relations, the draft should be provided to the VIP guest assistant or official staff representative. A final itinerary completed with dates, times, appointment locations and purpose, modes of transportation details and officials participating should be prepared. Contact information for the offices and key personnel involved in the visit should be included. Short biographies and background information should be included for the benefit of participants.

Checklists and fact sheets should be consulted to ensure all necessary arrangements have been put in place.

Additional Policy References for the University System of Georgia

• University System of Georgia Policy Manual
• Name, logo, trademark
• Political Interference
• Use of Institutional Facilities and Property in Political Campaigns
• Political Activities