17-30-22 - Prohibitions against political activities -- Penalties.
17-30-22. Prohibitions against political activities -- Penalties.
(1) Any employee of a governmental unit or member of a governing body, or appointingauthority, or peace officer who shall appoint, promote, transfer, demote, suspend, discharge orchange the amount of compensation of any merit system officer or seek, aid or abet theappointment, promotion, transfer, demotion, suspension, discharge or change in the amount ofcompensation of any merit system officer, or promise or threaten to do so, for giving,withholding, or neglecting to make any contributions or any service for any political purpose, orwho solicits, directly or indirectly, any such contribution or service, from a merit system officer,shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. This section shall not be deemed to apply to political speechesor use of mass communications media for political purposes by persons not merit system officerseven though merit system officers may be present or within the reach of such media unless thepurpose and intent thereof is to violate this section with direct respect to such officers.
(2) No merit system officer may engage in any political activity during the hours ofemployment, nor shall any person solicit political contributions from merit system officers duringhours of employment for political purposes; but nothing in this section shall preclude voluntarycontributions by a merit system officer to the party or candidate of the officer's choice.
Enacted by Statewide Initiative A, Nov. 8, 1960