It’s election season and recently I got a very interesting question that asked if Foreign Service employees can vote. This apparently stemmed from an incorrect news report from a major U.S. news outlet that claimed State Department employees, specifically diplomats, not being allowed to vote.
The answer is: yes, diplomats, State Department employees, and federal employees are allowed to vote.
Where I guess some confusion might stem, is that most executive branch federal employees (which includes the State Department), are prohibited from engaging in political activity in an official capacity as a result of the 1939 Hatch Act. So if I went on my social media accounts and said “My name is Nick and I am a Medical Provider in the U.S. Foreign Service. In that capacity on behalf of Medical Providers throughout the Foreign Service, I endorse John Q Politician for President”, I would be in violation and breaking the law. If I am at the Thanksgiving table wearing my John Q Politician for President sweatshirt, and talking politics with my family, that’s totally fine. If they or I post a family photo of the Thanksgiving event and I am in my sweatshirt, also totally fine.
As a private citizen I am free to talk politics, endorse anyone I want, and can talk about it on socials so long as I am clear these are my opinions as a private citizen and I am not trying to leverage my job as a means of formulating my opinion or endorsement.
Truth be told, I used to be a lot more vocal of my political opinions on social media and with friends/family before I started working for the government. However, since joining, I assume over the course of my career I will have bosses from all political spectrums in the White House, so I have toned it down. Not to say I am not political by any means, but my job is to represent my country abroad and uphold the U.S. constitution, so I feel it’s important to maintain neutrality so as not to cause any confusion.
Like many Americans, I will be be proudly voting in a couple of weeks (all the way from Rangoon), and like many, I look forward to seeing the results. -Nick
