At Duke, we value civic engagement and encourage faculty, staff, and administrators to participate in public policy discussions and activities. As a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, Duke is subject to strict limits on political activity and lobbying. In all interactions with government officials and policy discussions as an institution, Duke strives to remain non-partisan and engage in a bipartisan manner.

If you are speaking or acting on behalf of Duke or using Duke resources, different rules apply than when you are speaking or acting in a personal capacity. These limits also include reporting requirements for certain government interactions.

This policy is designed to help the Duke community engage confidently and lawfully.

Contact Information

What Counts as Lobbying?

Lobbying includes communications with legislative, executive, or regulatory officials that aim to influence policy, legislation, or funding decisions on behalf of Duke.

✅ What IS Lobbying❌ What IS NOT Lobbying
Advocating for or against a specific piece of legislation or regulation.Routine Communications: Responding to official information requests777.
Requesting a specific allocation of federal or state funding for Duke.Educational Communications: Presenting publicly available research888.
Attempting to persuade an official to change their position on a policy issue.Grant Administration: Communicating with a grant program officer regarding an existing or pending grant999.
Organizing others to contact officials to influence policy.Factual Information: Providing non-advocacy information required for compliance or routine agency function.

Compliance, Tracking, and Official Interactions

Duke is required by federal and state law to report lobbying activities, related expenses, and certain expenditures for covered individuals.

Restrictions on Gifts and Hosting

  • Strict Limits: Federal and state rules strictly limit or generally prohibit gifts, meals, tickets, travel, and honoraria provided to government officials. Permissible gifts may still be subject to reporting requirements.
  • Mandatory Consultation: You must contact the appropriate government relations office before inviting, hosting, or planning any event (including those honoring officials) for a government official or legislator to ensure compliance with all limits and reporting rules.

Reporting and Financial Tracking

  • Expense Prohibition: Lobbying-related expenses cannot be charged to federal or state grants or contracts. Consult with the Government Relations offices for guidance on appropriate cost tracking and reimbursement. You may need to complete a brief questionnaire to describe your activities for reporting purposes.

Professional Organizations and National Associations 

Many Duke employees are members of national associations or professional societies that work on policy issues at the state and federal levels. If your engagement with such an organization overlaps with the lobbying activities outlined here, please coordinate with the appropriate government relations office ahead of time.

In rare circumstances, the University retains outside political consulting or lobbying firms to assist in efforts in Washington and Raleigh.

Retention of outside representation by individuals or units within Duke for work involving government relations activities, lobbying, or political consulting must be approved by the VP for Government Relations.

Inviting Officials or Candidates to Campus

Elected officials and candidates may visit campus for educational purposes or to speak on policy issues, but these visits should avoid the appearance of political endorsement or partisan activity.

When planning such visits:
• Coordinate with the government relations offices early to ensure the event aligns with Duke’s missions and follows all applicable rules.

  • Invitations to officials and candidates must be approved by government relations before issuance. This is to ensure the event follows all applicable laws and policies.
  • Provide equal access to candidates for the same office.
  • Avoid campaign fundraising or partisan messaging.

Personal Political Activity

Duke employees may engage in political or other forms of civic activity in their personal capacity and on their own time. When doing so, do not use Duke email, titles, letterhead, or facilities. If you reference Duke in public communication, include this disclaimer:

“Titles and affiliations are provided for identification purposes only. Any views expressed are my own and do not reflect the views of Duke University or its affiliates.”

Quick Reference Chart

🔴🚦– Stop🟡🚦– Connect with government relations🟢🚦– Go
Using Duke Resources: Do not use email, printers, funds, or space to support a political candidate or campaign.Hosting Officials: You must get approval before inviting a government official to a university-sponsored event.Private Citizenship: Communicating with an elected official as a private citizen (not on behalf of Duke).
Unapproved Lobbying: Lobbying on behalf of Duke without prior coordination with Government Relations.Official Letters: Signing a letter about policy issues on behalf of a Duke institute/center or using your title for identification.Rallies & Events: Attending a political event or rally on your own time.
Websites: Publishing political endorsements or partisan statements on official Duke websites.Op-Eds: Publishing an op-ed that references your Duke work, title, or affiliation.Petitions: Signing a petition as a private citizen (without mentioning your Duke title).
Protests on Company Time: Attending a protest or rally during work hours without using PTO.Expert Panels: Serving as a Duke expert on a panel or board that may be perceived as partisan.Routine Requests: Responding to official information requests or presenting public research*.

* Routine, educational, or non-advocacy communications such as responding to official information requests, presenting publicly available research, or communicating with a grant program officer usually do not count as lobbying, but it’s best to confirm with the government relations offices.

Use of Duke Facilities

By Outside Groups

  • Duke’s facilities are normally not made available to outside groups. When outside use is permitted, the facility must be reserved on a contract basis and a fee will be charged. For more information, see the guidance and the policy on use of University lands and facilities and/or call either the Office of Government Relations or Duke State Relations, as appropriate.

Press Conferences

  • Press conferences or similar on-campus or virtual events for a political candidate are generally prohibited. Questions about specific events and requests should be directed to the Office of the Vice President for Communications, Marketing and Public Affairs (919-681-3788).

Policy on Pickets, Protests and Demonstrations

  • Duke’s policy on pickets, protests and demonstrations, found in Appendix I of the Faculty Handbook here.

Voting

Eligible members of the Duke community are encouraged to participate in elections. Resources to register to vote and to learn more about upcoming elections:

All employees who are registered to vote in Durham County are urged, when available, to use on-campus early voting. Supervisors are encouraged to be flexible with scheduling to enable staff members who are unable to vote outside normal work hours to do so before, during or after their assigned shifts.

Duke’s voting policy can be found here.

Summary of Key Principles for Duke Employees

• Contact the appropriate government relations office (outlined above) before engaging with elected officials, government agencies, or candidates in your Duke capacity.

• Do not use Duke resources (e.g., funds, email, logos, listservs, facilities, etc.) for political campaigns or partisan activity.

• Always distinguish your personal views from Duke’s positions by using a disclaimer when needed. The government relations offices can provide disclaimer text (mentioned above).

• When in doubt, contact the government relations offices first.

Disclaimer

This guidance is not legal advice and does not cover every possible situation. Please contact the government relations offices for assistance in interpreting these rules or planning any government-related engagement.