News Archive:

Voting leave for Nov. 7

Administrative leave policy

11/06/00 -- DOC/PTO has released the policy statement for granting administrative leave for voting on election day, Tuesday, November 7th, 2000.  Additional explanatory memo.

The text of the policy with examples follows:

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-----Original Message-----
> From: ***********
> Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2000 8:51 AM
> To: ************
> Subject: Absences for Registration and Voting
>
> This provides leave guidance for the upcoming November 7th elections. 

> Although employees are expected to make every effort to register and vote outside of duty hours and to conform to their regular work schedules when doing so, excused absence (or administrative leave) for voting and registration is permissible in very limited situations.  Specifically, in locations where polls are not open at least three hours before or after an employee's regularly scheduled hours of work, up to 3 hours of excused absence may be granted so that the employee has a minimum of 3 hours to vote.

>  Excused absence may be permitted at either the beginning or end of the daily tour of duty depending on which requires less excused absence.  If excused absence is requested, the employee must vote during the 3-hour threshold period.  

>  For example: 

> If an employee is scheduled to work from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the employee's polling place is open from 7:00 a.m to 8:00 p.m., the employee may not be granted excused absence for voting since there is a minimum of 3 hours after the end of the work schedule to vote;

>  If an employee is scheduled to work from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the employee's polling place is open from 7:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m., the employee may be granted ½ hour of excused absence from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., if requested.  Since the employee would need 2 hours in the morning to meet the 3-hour threshold, the lesser of ½  hour of excused absence in the afternoon is appropriate; or  

>  If an employee is scheduled to work from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and the employee's polling place is open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., the employee may be granted 1 hour of excused absence from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., if requested.  Since the employee would need 1 ½ hours in the morning to meet the 3-hour threshold, the lesser of 1 hour of excused absence in the afternoon is appropriate.

> Under exceptional circumstances where it is necessary to enable an employee to register to vote or cast a ballot, excused absence not to exceed a full day may be granted.  

>  Examples include where:

>  Voter registration in person is required and registration cannot be
accomplished on a nonworkday;

>  Preparation and certification of an absentee ballot is required and these activities cannot be accomplished during nonworking hours; and

>  An employee's voting location is beyond normal commuting distance and vote by absentee ballot is not allowed.  In this case, the employee may be granted sufficient excused absence to make the trip to the voting location to cast his or her ballot.  However, if more than one day is required to make the trip, time off in excess of one day is to be charged to the employee's accrued annual leave, compensatory time, credit hours if on a flexible alternative work schedule, or LWOP.

> Note that employees who elect to participate in electoral activities such as election officers, precinct inspectors or clerks, or poll workers may not be granted excused absence for these activities.  Any time spent during regular duty hours for these activities is to be charged to the employee's accrued annual leave, compensatory time, credit hours if on a flexible alternative work schedule, or LWOP.    

> For additional information on polling locations and voter registration see the Federal Election Commission's website at
> http://www.fec.gov/pages/faqs.htm
>
> ____________________________________________________
> Distribution of this message was authorized by OCIO.
> 

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If you have any questions about this policy, please see your supervisor.

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