Oregon Revised Statutes

Or. Rev. Stat. § 260.432 (2026)

Prohibition on certain requirements of public employees; activities of public employees during working hours; exceptions

✓ current as of May 2026

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260.432 Prohibition on certain requirements of public employees; activities of public employees during working hours; exceptions. (1) A person may not attempt to, or actually, coerce, command or require a public employee to:

(a) Influence or give money, service or other thing of value to promote or oppose any political committee;

(b) Promote or oppose the appointment, nomination or election of a person to a public office;

(d) Promote or oppose the gathering of signatures on an initiative, referendum or recall petition; or

(e) Promote or oppose the adoption of a measure or the recall of a public office holder.

(2) A public employee may not engage in any of the following activities while on the job during working hours or while otherwise acting in the public employee’s official capacity:

(a) Solicit any money, influence, service or other thing of value or otherwise promote or oppose any political committee;

(b) Promote or oppose the appointment, nomination or election of a person to a public office;

(d) Promote or oppose the gathering of signatures on an initiative, referendum or recall petition; or

(e) Promote or oppose the adoption of a measure or the recall of a public office holder.

(3) This section does not restrict:

(a) The right of a public employee to express personal political views, provided that a reasonable person would not infer that the personal political views of the public employee represent the views of the public employer of the public employee; or

(b) A public employee from communicating with a separate public employee or elected official about the appointment of a person to a public office, provided that the communication is made in furtherance of the recipient’s official duties relating to an appointment required by the Oregon Constitution or a state statute.

(4) Each public employer shall have posted in a conspicuous place likely to be seen by its employees the following notice in printed or typewritten form:

______________________________________________________________________________

ATTENTION ALL PUBLIC EMPLOYEES:

The restrictions imposed by the law of the State of Oregon on your political activities are that “No public employee shall solicit any money, influence, service or other thing of value or otherwise promote or oppose any political committee; promote or oppose the appointment, nomination or election of a person to a public office; or promote or oppose the filing of or gathering of signatures on an initiative, referendum or recall petition or the adoption of a measure or the recall of a public office holder while on the job during working hours or while otherwise acting in the public employee’s official capacity as a public employee. However, this section does not restrict the right of a public employee to express personal political views, provided that a reasonable person would not infer that the views represent those of the public employer of the public employee.”

It is therefore the policy of the state and of your public employer that you may engage in political activity except to the extent prohibited by state law when on the job during working hours or while otherwise working in your official capacity as a public employee.

______________________________________________________________________________

(5)(a) Notwithstanding subsections (1) and (2) of this section:

(A) The recognized student government of a community college or public university listed in ORS 352.002, or a member of the recognized student government while acting as a member, may make a statement or issue a resolution to promote or oppose:

(i) The gathering of signatures on an initiative or referendum petition; or

(ii) The adoption of a measure.

(B) A member of the board of education of a community college district, a member of the governing board, as defined in ORS 352.029, of a public university or an employee of a community college or public university may take any action as a public employee that is necessary to allow the recognized student government, or member of the recognized student government, to engage in activities described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.

(b) Except for facilitating the actions described in paragraph (a) of this subsection, the recognized student government of a community college or public university, or a member of the recognized student government while acting as a member, may not use mandatory student-initiated fees, mandatory enrollment fees, mandatory incidental fees or any public moneys to promote or oppose any political committee or promote or oppose the appointment, nomination or election of a person to a public office, the filing of or the gathering of signatures on an initiative, referendum or recall petition, the adoption of a measure or the recall of a public office holder.

(6) Nothing in this section prohibits an employee of the legislative branch from explaining the vote of a member of the Legislative Assembly on:

(a) An Act that has been referred to the people by law or petition under Article IV, section 1 (3), of the Oregon Constitution;

(b) An Act for which a prospective referendum petition has been filed under ORS 250.045; or

(7) As used in this section:

(a) “Public employee” does not include an elected official or a person appointed as a director to the board of a pilot education service district under ORS 334.108.

(b) “Public employer” includes any board, commission, committee, department, division or institution in the executive, administrative, legislative or judicial branch of state government, and any county, city, district or other municipal corporation or public corporation organized for a public purpose, including a cooperative body formed between municipal or public corporations.

(c) “While on the job during working hours” does not include periods of time during which a public employee is taking time off for a meal break or rest break or periods of time during which a public employee is utilizing otherwise allowable time off in accordance with the labor laws of this state. [Formerly 260.231; 1973 c.53 §1; 1973 c.744 §27a; 1979 c.190 §372; 1979 c.519 §35a; 1983 c.71 §9; 1983 c.392 §1; 1985 c.565 §39; 1985 c.808 §62; 1987 c.718 §3; 1993 c.493 §106; 2007 c.589 §§7,8; 2010 c.9 §§15,16; 2013 c.13 §2; 2019 c.377 §1; 2023 c.268 §1]

260.440 [Amended by 1971 c.644 §8; repealed by 1971 c.749 §82]

260.442 [Formerly 260.250; 1973 c.744 §28; 1979 c.190 §383; renumbered 260.625]

260.450 [Repealed by 1957 c.644 §28]

260.452 [Formerly 260.420; 1973 c.744 §29; repealed by 1979 c.190 §431]

260.460 [Repealed by 1957 c.644 §28]

260.462 [Formerly 260.270; 1973 c.744 §30; 1979 c.190 §386; renumbered 260.655]

260.470 [Amended by 1957 c.644 §9; 1971 c.749 §34; renumbered 260.365]

260.472 [Formerly 260.280; 1973 c.744 §31; 1979 c.190 §370; renumbered 260.415]

260.480 [Amended by 1957 c.644 §11; repealed by 1971 c.749 §82]

260.482 [Formerly 260.310; 1973 c.744 §32; 1977 c.678 §3; 1979 c.190 §384; renumbered 260.635]

260.490 [Amended by 1959 c.644 §12; repealed by 1971 c.749 §82]

260.492 [Formerly 260.320; 1973 c.744 §33; repealed by 1979 c.190 §431]

260.500 [Amended by 1957 c.644 §13; 1971 c.749 §56; renumbered 260.552]

260.502 [Formerly 260.335; repealed by 1973 c.744 §48]

260.510 [Amended by 1957 c.644 §14; repealed by 1971 c.749 §82]

260.512 [Formerly 260.340; 1973 c.744 §34; 1979 c.190 §380; renumbered 260.605]

260.520 [Amended by 1957 c.644 §15; 1971 c.749 §35; renumbered 260.375]

260.522 [Formerly 260.360; 1973 c.483 §1; 1973 c.744 §35; 1975 c.683 §13; 1979 c.190 §373; 1981 c.234 §17; 1983 c.71 §11; 1985 c.808 §63; 1989 c.503 §28; 1989 c.1054 §13; 1993 c.359 §1; 1993 c.618 §2; repealed by 2001 c.965 §66]

260.530 [Repealed by 1957 c.644 §28]

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 10 cases, 1973–2016 · leading case: Oregon State Police Officers Ass'n v. State, 783 P.2d 7 (Or. 1989).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

Oregon State Police Officers Ass'n v. State, 783 P.2d 7 (Or. 1989). · cites it 16× “Violation of ORS 260.432 is punishable by a civil penalty.”

Burt v. Blumenauer, 699 P.2d 168 (Or. 1985). · cites it 12× “At the time relevant to this case, ORS 260.432 prohibited “any person” from, among other things, requiring a “public employe to * * * aid, promote or oppose * * * the adoption of a measure * * The statute also prohibits public employes from engaging in the same conduct *58…”

Broadrick v. Oklahoma, 413 U.S. 601 (1973). · cites it 2× “46 (1969); Ore. Rev. Stat. § 260.432 (1971); Pa. Stat.”

Williams v. City of Astoria, 604 P.2d 411 (Or. Ct. App. 1979). · cites it 12× “185, as amended, are preempted by ORS 260.432. Plaintiffs also contend that the Astoria provisions are unconstitutionally vague and over-broad.”

Fraternal Order of Police v. Montgomery Cnty., 132 A.3d 311 (Md. 2016). “There are statutes in other States that speak directly to whether local governments may use public funds to advocate for or against ballot measures or pending legislation. See, for example, Ariz.”

Burt v. Blumenauer, 672 P.2d 51 (Or. Ct. App. 1983). · cites it 10× “” Also pertinent is ORS 260.432, which reads in part: “(1) No person shall attempt to, or actually, coerce, command or require a public employe to influence or give money, service or other thing of value to aid, promote or oppose any political committee or to aid, promote or…”

Burt v. Blumenauer, 733 P.2d 462 (Or. Ct. App. 1987). · cites it 4× “100 against defendants 1 to require them to repay county funds allegedly spent in violation of ORS 260.432 2 to defeat an initiative ballot measure to halt fluoridation of Portland’s water supply.”

Oregon State Police Officers Ass'n v. State, 766 P.2d 408 (Or. Ct. App. 1988). “Although the guidelines are substantially less restrictive than the statute, 1 they permit less off-the-job political activity by state police officers than ORS 260.432 allows by other public employes.”

Carlson v. AFSCME, 700 P.2d 260 (Or. Ct. App. 1985). · cites it 7× “It is equally obvious, however, that, if fair share funds were used in the election campaign, the union and the employer — through their fair share agreement — would have required a public employe to give money to oppose the adoption of a measure.”

Sizemore/Novick v. Myers, 29 P.3d 1108 (Or. 2001). · cites it 2× “ORS 260.432(2) provides: “No public employee shall solicit any money, influence, service or other thing of value or otherwise promote or oppose any political committee or promote or oppose the nomination or election of a candidate, the gathering of signatures on an initiative,…”

— Or. Rev. Stat. § 260.432(1) — 1 case

Carlson v. AFSCME, 700 P.2d 260 (Or. Ct. App. 1985). “It is equally obvious, however, that, if fair share funds were used in the election campaign, the union and the employer — through their fair share agreement — would have required a public employe to give money to oppose the adoption of a measure.”

— Or. Rev. Stat. § 260.432(2) — 3 cases

Oregon State Police Officers Ass'n v. State, 783 P.2d 7 (Or. 1989). “Violation of ORS 260.432 is punishable by a civil penalty.”

Burt v. Blumenauer, 699 P.2d 168 (Or. 1985). “At the time relevant to this case, ORS 260.432 prohibited “any person” from, among other things, requiring a “public employe to * * * aid, promote or oppose * * * the adoption of a measure * * The statute also prohibits public employes from engaging in the same conduct *58…”

Sizemore/Novick v. Myers, 29 P.3d 1108 (Or. 2001). “ORS 260.432(2) provides: “No public employee shall solicit any money, influence, service or other thing of value or otherwise promote or oppose any political committee or promote or oppose the nomination or election of a candidate, the gathering of signatures on an initiative,…”

— Or. Rev. Stat. § 260.432(3) — 1 case

Williams v. City of Astoria, 604 P.2d 411 (Or. Ct. App. 1979). “185, as amended, are preempted by ORS 260.432. Plaintiffs also contend that the Astoria provisions are unconstitutionally vague and over-broad.”

— Or. Rev. Stat. § 260.432(4) — 2 cases

Oregon State Police Officers Ass'n v. State, 783 P.2d 7 (Or. 1989). “Violation of ORS 260.432 is punishable by a civil penalty.”

Burt v. Blumenauer, 672 P.2d 51 (Or. Ct. App. 1983). “” Also pertinent is ORS 260.432, which reads in part: “(1) No person shall attempt to, or actually, coerce, command or require a public employe to influence or give money, service or other thing of value to aid, promote or oppose any political committee or to aid, promote or…”

— Or. Rev. Stat. § 260.432(5) — 1 case

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.