The law broadens the list of advertising messages that will not require OCE approval
Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González has signed into law a measure that relaxes key restrictions on government communications during an election year.
For public-sector businesses, the practical question is how far the new exceptions go—and how agencies and vendors can use them without crossing into campaign-style messaging.
The change is expected to have significant operational and financial implications for public agencies, municipalities, and contractors involved in public works, advertising, and digital services.
Law 154 of 2026 amends the island’s campaign finance oversight law and the Municipal Code to carve out broad exceptions to the “electoral ban,” the prohibition on using public funds to promote candidates or political parties in an election year. While the ban remains in place for explicit political messaging, the new language allows agencies and municipalities to continue publishing a wide range of information, signage, and digital content without prior approval from the Office of the Electoral Comptroller (OCE).
It arrives as the administration faces heightened scrutiny from opposition leaders, who allege that public resources have been used improperly—claims that have fueled a politically charged environment around government spending and compliance.
From a business and operational standpoint, the statute reduces friction for agencies that rely on continuous public communication, particularly those managing infrastructure projects, emergency response, utilities, and municipal services. Under the previous rules, many routine communications required OCE review, creating delays, additional administrative costs, and uncertainty for vendors contracted to produce signage, digital content, and public notices.
In practical terms, the law loosens several aspects of Puerto Rico’s current electoral ban by carving out broad exceptions for government information, signage, and communications during an election year, as long as the content does not explicitly promote political candidates or highlight government achievements. It does not openly authorize image-building, but it creates more room for government messaging that could indirectly benefit incumbents if not strictly monitored.
Government entities may now maintain permanent signage at public works sites, continue operating websites and social media accounts, issue public service announcements, and publish information related to emergencies, traditional events, and routine operations—provided the content does not highlight achievements, promote candidates, or use campaign symbols.
Those exceptions also affect contractors. The measure clarifies which materials—such as project identification signs, institutional branding, and informational notices—can proceed without OCE approval, which is expected to reduce project delays and lower compliance-related costs for firms working with government clients.
The bill tightens the definition of “political-partisan purposes,” stating that the mere presence of a public official’s image or a slogan is not automatically political if it is “incidental” and part of routine administrative identification. This shift could reduce the number of materials flagged for review, streamlining procurement and production cycles.
The law also introduces automatic approval, further reducing compliance uncertainty: if the OCE does not respond within 15 days for ordinary requests or five days for expedited ones, the communication is deemed approved.
The law also changes election-year restrictions beyond communications. In the municipal sector, it lifts the hiring freeze for re-elected mayors who are certified by the State Elections Commission. Municipalities—many of which operate with lean staffing—argue that the previous freeze hindered service delivery and delayed onboarding for critical operational roles.
Supporters of the measure say the reforms will reduce bureaucratic overhead, improve government transparency, and align Puerto Rico with practices in states such as Washington and California, where agencies may continue routine communications during election periods. Critics counter that the expanded exceptions could create opportunities for subtle forms of incumbency advantage, particularly through public works visibility and digital content that keeps elected officials in the public eye.
With the law now in effect, agencies, municipalities, and contractors will need to adjust compliance protocols and update internal guidelines to reflect the new exceptions. The OCE retains regulatory authority, but it is explicitly barred from narrowing or altering the exceptions created by the Legislature. That shift places greater responsibility on agencies and vendors to self-police the boundary between public information and political messaging.
