VEIC POLICY ON POLITICAL ACTIVITY. It is imperative that all VEIC employees clearly understand and abide by the limitations and prohibitions against using VEIC resources to conduct political activity. These restrictions also apply to contractors and members of the VEIC Board of Directors at the time they are representing themselves as and/or conducting work for VEIC. VEIC is a non-profit organization that has been granted tax-exempt status by the federal government under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. That status comes with rules that strictly prohibit VEIC employees, Board members and contractors from engaging in any of the following political activities: • supporting or endorsing any candidate for political office; • opposing any candidate for public office; • publishing or distributing campaign literature or statements on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office; and • using the signature, letterhead, or return envelopes of any candidate for public office in conjunction with any fundraising or service solicitation(s) on behalf of VEIC, particularly if the recipient of the mailing could reasonably infer that the solicitation represents a cooperative effort between the candidate and VEIC. In addition, VEIC employees, Board members and contractors are prohibited from engaging in other campaign-related activity, even if not directed toward a specific candidate, including the following: • hosting or sponsoring candidates’ debates or forums, unless very specific guidelines for the invitation and participation of candidates are followed; • holding a public VEIC event to which candidate(s) for public office are invited, unless it is stated explicitly that VEIC neither supports nor opposes any person’s candidacy. However, VEIC may invite a candidate to appear at a public event for reasons unrelated to the person’s candidacy, such as because the candidate has a particular expertise, or holds a particular public office. In such a case, VEIC must avoid any and all references to either the election or the individual’s candidacy.; • attempting to influence legislation; • forwarding VEIC or other general energy efficiency educational materials to some candidates in a race for office and not to others or undertaking additional efforts when responding to a candidate’s inquiries concerning VEIC’s position’s on public policy issues. VEIC may send its pre-existing educational materials to candidates, campaigns or political parties, unsolicited, in order to educate the c...
