Political Activism Thriving in Federal Workforce

David Sheagley and Darlene Tinsley, a husband-and-wife team employed by the Social Security Administration in Ohio, are political activists.

But, like other federal workers, they emphasize that their political activities are done on their own time.

Yesterday was their time to act.

And last night was their time to celebrate.

"I'm happy, very happy," Tinsley said moments after news organizations declared Barack Obama victorious. "I can breathe again now."

Hours before, they had worked the phones to push a big turnout for him. Using lists supplied by unions, they called laborers, electricians and construction workers to encourage them to vote.

If the workers had not yet voted, Sheagley and Tinsley read them a short script that said: "This election is critical for all working people. Over 90,000 people lost their jobs in Ohio this year, and unemployment is at 7.2 percent statewide. We need to change the direction of this country."

Two weeks ago, they hosted about a dozen people for a phone-bank chili dinner in their Willoughby, Ohio, home. Using cellphones, "I think we made about 600 calls that night," Sheagley said.

Sheagley and Tinsley are among many federal workers who spent Election Day campaigning for their candidates, within permitted guidelines of course, or working in a nonpartisan way to ensure a fair election.

The Justice Department said it deployed more than 800 federal observers and department personnel to 59 jurisdictions in 23 states.

"Since the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Justice Department has regularly sent observers and monitors around the country to protect voters' rights," Jamie Hais, a department spokesman wrote in an e-mail.

The Office of Personnel Management provided another 660 people to monitor elections at 22 sites in 11 states -- Alabama, Arizona, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota and Texas.