Permitted political activities—employees who reside in designated localities and are employed in certain agencies and positions.
5 C.F.R. § 733.105
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) This section applied to employees who reside in designated localities and are employed in the following agencies or positions:
(1) The Federal Election Commission;
(2) The Election Assistance Commission;
(3) The Federal Bureau of Investigation;
(4) The Secret Service;
(5) The Central Intelligence Agency;
(6) The National Security Council;
(7) The National Security Agency;
(8) The Defense Intelligence Agency;
(9) The Merit Systems Protection Board;
(10) The Office of Special Counsel;
(11) The Office of Criminal Investigation of the Internal Revenue Service.
(12) The Office of Investigative Programs of the United States Customs Service;
(13) The Office of Law Enforcement of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms;
(14) The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency;
(15) The Office of the Director of National Intelligence;
(16) Career Senior Executive Service positions described in 5 U.S.C. 3132(a)(4);
(17) Administrative Law Judge positions described in 5 U.S.C. 5372;
(18) Contract Appeals Board Member positions described in 5 U.S.C. 5372a; or
(19) Administrative Appeals Judge positions described in 5 U.S.C. 5732b.
(b) This section does not apply to individuals who have been appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, even though they are employed in the agencies and positions described in paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) Employees who are covered under this section and who reside in a municipality or political subdivision designated by OPM under § 733.107 may:
(1) Run as independent candidates for election to partisan political office in elections for local office in the municipality or political subdivision;
(2) Solicit, accept, or receive a political contribution as, or on behalf of, an independent candidate for partisan political office in elections for local office in the municipality or political subdivision;
(3) Solicit, accept, or receive uncompensated volunteer services as, or on behalf of, an independent candidate for partisan political office in elections for office in the municipality or subdivision; and
(4) Take an active part in other political activities associated with elections for local partisan political office and in managing the campaigns of candidates for election to local partisan political office in the municipality or political subdivision, but only as an independent candidate or on behalf of, or in opposition to, an independent candidate.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-5.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026