Subject to the provisions of subsection (b), an employee may take an active part in political management or in political campaigns, except an employee may not—

(1) use his official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election;

knowingly solicit, accept, or receive a political contribution from any person, unless such person is—

(A) a member of the same Federal labor organization as defined under section 7103(4) of this title or a Federal employee organization which as of the date of enactment of the Hatch Act Reform Amendments of 1993 had a multicandidate political committee (as defined under section 315(a)(4) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(4))); [1]

(B) not a subordinate employee; and

(C) the solicitation is for a contribution to the multicandidate political committee (as defined under section 315(a)(4) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(4))) 1 of such Federal labor organization as defined under section 7103(4) of this title or a Federal employee organization which as of the date of the enactment of the Hatch Act Reform Amendments of 1993 had a multicandidate political committee (as defined under section 315(a)(4) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (2 U.S.C. 441a(a)(4))); 1 or

(3) run for the nomination or as a candidate for election to a partisan political office; or

knowingly solicit or discourage the participation in any political activity of any person who—

(A) has an application for any compensation, grant, contract, ruling, license, permit, or certificate pending before the employing office of such employee; or

(B) is the subject of or a participant in an ongoing audit, investigation, or enforcement action being carried out by the employing office of such employee.

The provisions of subparagraph (A) shall apply to—

(1) An employee of the Federal Election Commission (except one appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate), may not request or receive from, or give to, an employee, a Member of Congress, or an officer of a uniformed service a political contribution.

The provisions of subparagraph (A) shall apply to—

(A) No employee described under subparagraph (B) (except one appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate), may take an active part in political management or political campaigns.

(B) The provisions of subparagraph (A) shall apply to— (i) an employee of— (I) the Federal Election Commission or the Election Assistance Commission; (II) the Federal Bureau of Investigation; (III) the Secret Service; (IV) the Central Intelligence Agency; (V) the National Security Council; (VI) the National Security Agency; (VII) the Defense Intelligence Agency; (VIII) the Merit Systems Protection Board; (IX) the Office of Special Counsel; (X) the Office of Criminal Investigation of the Internal Revenue Service; (XI) the Office of Investigative Programs of the United States Customs Service; (XII) the Office of Law Enforcement of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; (XIII) the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; or (XIV) the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; or (ii) a person employed in a position described under section 3132(a)(4), 5372, 5372a, or 5372b of title 5, United States Code.

(3) No employee of the Criminal Division or National Security Division of the Department of Justice (except one appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate), may take an active part in political management or political campaigns.

(4) For purposes of this subsection, the term “active part in political management or in a political campaign” means those acts of political management or political campaigning which were prohibited for employees of the competitive service before July 19, 1940, by determinations of the Civil Service Commission under the rules prescribed by the President.

An employee retains the right to vote as he chooses and to express his opinion on political subjects and candidates.

(Added Pub. L. 103–94, § 2(a), Oct. 6, 1993, 107 Stat. 1002; amended Pub. L. 103–359, title V, § 501(k), Oct. 14, 1994, 108 Stat. 3430; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title XI, § 1122(a)(1), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2687; Pub. L. 106–554, § 1(a)(3) [title VI, § 645(a)(2)], Dec. 21, 2000, 114 Stat. 2763, 2763A–170; Pub. L. 107–252, title VIII, § 811(a), Oct. 29, 2002, 116 Stat. 1727; Pub. L. 108–458, title I, § 1079(a), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3695; Pub. L. 109–177, title V, § 506(b)(2), Mar. 9, 2006, 120 Stat. 249; Pub. L. 110–417, [div. A], title IX, § 931(a)(1), Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4575.)