In the spring of this year, several public employees in Massachusetts assisted in filing nomination papers to qualify incumbent elected officials for the September primary ballot, raising questions about the intersection of campaign activities and public employment. At least seven public employees working under Secretary of State William F. Galvin, as well as aides to House Speaker Ron Mariano, State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, and Attorney General Andrea Campbell, submitted paperwork in various municipalities across the state, including Boston, Springfield, Worcester, and others.

Massachusetts law prohibits elected officials from using public resources for election purposes, and unelected public employees are barred from engaging in political campaign work during public time, according to the state Ethics Commission. Officials involved maintain their staff complied with these rules by using personal time, such as vacation, personal, or compensatory time, or by carrying out these tasks outside regular working hours. For example, some employees reportedly delivered documents during unpaid lunch breaks or after typical business hours. In Galvin’s office, one election specialist filed papers while on sick leave. Similarly, aides in Campbell’s office submitted nomination papers during personal time or lunch hours, with the office characterizing the efforts as voluntary.

Despite assurances that these activities were legally permissible, some observers expressed concern over the optics and potential conflicts of interest. Political analysts note that while it is common for public employees to support the campaigns of their elected supervisors, it can appear problematic if campaign work is intertwined with official duties or if participation is perceived as obligatory due to workplace hierarchy.

Records show that Galvin, a long-serving secretary of state, personally filed nominations on several occasions and also utilized volunteers. He reportedly had over $2 million in campaign funds at the end of last month. Campbell similarly had substantial financial resources with more than $800,000 on hand and employed multiple campaign staff who regularly submitted nomination papers. Other statewide officials, including Governor Maura Healey, primarily relied on non-public employees such as campaign staff, Democratic Party personnel, or volunteers for such tasks.

Past scrutiny has also focused on Galvin’s campaigns, where internal reviews found instances of public employees submitting campaign paperwork possibly during work hours. For this cycle, Galvin and Campbell declined to comment.

Several other local and state officials’ aides took on similar roles. For instance, John Walsh, chief of staff to Speaker Mariano, and aides to Senators Paul Feeney, Mark Montigny, Patrick O’Connor, and Representative Jeff Turco, filed nomination papers on personal time, according to their offices. O’Connor noted that due to long working hours and uncompensated lunch breaks, his staff accumulated significant compensatory time used for such activities.

In the case of DiZoglio’s office, an intern mistakenly logged campaign work hours as official time but has since been retrained to prevent future errors. Officials emphasized ongoing efforts to educate staff on ethical guidelines separating public service from political activities.

Public records and interviews suggest that while the involved employees generally attempted to observe legal boundaries by using personal or compensatory time, the overlap between workplace roles and political support continues to elicit debate over appropriate practices and public perception in Massachusetts politics.