Are you planning to spruce up your campaign website with a dash of local flavor, like your state flag or a municipal emblem? Well, hold on, because you might be stepping on a legal landmine without even knowing it.
It’s possible that the state flag or local municipal emblem you want to include in your campaign website might become a problem with the election board. Using state or local graphics may violate local election laws.
Laws vary on rules regarding the use of official symbols on political websites and campaign material. Many candidates opt for landmark or scenic images in their website headers. Other candidates who choose to include a background image of their state flag or municipal emblem.
Campaigns that want to design their sites with flag or emblem images should double-check for any state or local regulations on how those emblems can be used in campaign materials. (We often use these emblems as subtle background watermarks.) Laws and regulations vary, and it’s better to do things right the first time than to get called out later for an infraction.
The same issue can apply to official county seals or seals of local government. For example, candidates may be prohibited from using a sheriff’s department insignia or badge. If you’re a candidate with a military background, there are restrictions on when you can strut your stuff in uniform for political purposes. Judges tend to have the heaviest restrictions on what insignias and imagery they can use.
As an aside, we encountered a reverse situation a few years back. During a local election, an incumbent actually put his head shot into the website header of the town website, essentially branding the municipal website for his own purposes. After some public outcry, the head shot was removed.
What’s at stake? If you ignore local election laws, you’re asking for trouble and could even face legal repercussions. Fines, penalties, and possibly the loss of credibility. It’s not a game you want to play lightly.
Before you go wild with those state flags and emblems, make sure you understand your local election laws inside and out. We can’t stress this enough. Avoid being the candidate that lands in hot water for a graphic blunder.
In a nutshell, keep your campaign materials compliant, your designs captivating, and your reputation intact. It’s not hard, but it’s a critical part of having a clean and successful campaign!
For more campaign tips and ideas, check out OnlineCandidateResources.com. Access is free for Online Candidate campaign website clients.
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Tags: election law
