Elections
- Details
- Parent Category: Code of Ethics
Ethics Office's jurisdiction over election issues
The Ethics Office has limited jurisdiction over election-related issues. The Office's primary jurisdiction concerning elections is based on the Code Ethics provision that requires public property to be used for official city business, and prohibits the use of public property for private advantage.
No use of city property
City property generally may not be used by city officials, employees, or candidates to promote their candidacy for office or during political campaigns. However, a candidate may use a city facility during a campaign if the property is a public forum open to all members of the general public, such as the City Hall steps, sidewalks, or public parks. City buildings may also be used for political forums when the forum is open to all candidates in a specific race or where the general public is invited to attend the event.
City officials, employees, and candidates for city elected office:
- Cannot use city funds for political campaign purposes
- Cannot work for political campaigns on the city's time
- Cannot use city equipment, vehicles, or staff to promote their candidacy for elected office
- Cannot use the city's website, email directory, or city email addresses to solicit political support for a candidate
- Cannot use their uniforms, badges, or vehicles in political advertisements or endorsements
City employees who seek elective office
- The Civil Service Code has additional requirements of any city employee who runs for elective office while employed with the City. For questions about the Civil Service Code, employees should talk with their supervisors or consult the Department of Law.
- City employees who run for Mayor, Council President, or City Council in the City of Atlanta must resign from city employment. (See City of Atlanta Municipal Code, Section 114-2 (a)). However, for purposes of Section 114-2 only, publicly elected city officials are not considered city "employees" and are therefore not required to resign from office following an offering to run for Mayor, Council President, or City Council. (See Section 114-2 (g))
- Employees who seek federal, state, and county office or elective office in another municipality must file a written notification with their department head (Section 114-2(c)) and include (1) their intent to file as a candidate for office; (2) the office they intend to seek; (3) the government jurisdiction; (4) the date of filing for candidacy; and (5) the date of the election.
- Employees may request a leave of absence and department heads may require employees to take a leave if the campaign is expected to interfere with the employee's duties or work hours. (See Section 114-2 (b)); see also 114-422 (leave of absence without pay)
- Department heads may require a separation if the employee is elected and the department head determines that the elected office interferes with the employee's duties or hours of city employment. (See Section 114-2 (d))
City board members who seek elective office
City board members, persons appointed by the City to other public boards, and neighborhood planning unit officers or committee members who run for Mayor, Council President, or City Council in the City of Atlanta must resign from their city position on the date of their public announcement or filing as a candidate for office. (Code section 114-2)(g))
NPU meetings cannot be used as political forums
Neighborhood Planning Unit meetings may not be used for political forums or campaigning for city, county, state, or federal elective office.
Campaign Disclosure Reports
The City of Atlanta Municipal Clerk's Office is the filing agency for all local campaign contribution disclosure reports and state-required financial disclosure statements. Candidates for municipal office must file their campaign reports electronically with the Municipal Clerk's Office. To view or obtain more information on local campaign reports, please visit www.gaeasyfile.com or contact the Municipal Clerk's Office directly at 404-330-6500.
Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission.
The Office of Municipal Clerk posted copies of campaign finance reports filed between September and December 2009 by candidates for Mayor, Council President, City Council, and the Atlanta School Board. Under state law, the clerk's office was the official filing office for these reports issued prior to 2011 and is the current filing office as of 2014.