News Article | October 31, 2023
Elections
LegalEase
Legal Guidance
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"I overheard a commissioner talking about the ways he plans to advertise his campaign next year. One of his ideas included hanging political advertising signs in his office window that faces a busy street. He also said he’d like to make one to put in the back window of his county vehicle. This doesn’t sound like a good idea to me." |
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May a county official purchase and hang political advertising signs on county property?
No. It is a violation of the prohibition against misuse of public property to use county resources on a county official's individual political campaign. This includes displaying campaign material in a county office or transporting it in a county vehicle. Tex. Ethics Comm. Op. No. 550 (2019). For more information on ethics, see our Pitfalls and Perils of Public Office publication.