Feds can’t spend all of Nov. 8 in the field watching democracy in action, but the Office of Personnel Management does offer guidance as to how excused absence may be granted for voting, reminds a memorandum from Office of Personnel Management acting Director Beth Cobert.
The head of each agency has discretion to create policies for limited time off, as long as granting it doesn’t interfere with agency operations. The primary circumstances to consider are whether polls are not open at least three hours either before or after an employee’s regular work hours and if an employee’s voting place is beyond normal commuting distance and vote by absentee ballot isn’t allowed.
So, say that an employee’s polling place is open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., while normal work hours extend from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In this case, one half-hour of leave could be granted at 4 p.m. to allow for that three-hour voting window. If a trip to a voting place extends beyond normal commuting distance and no absentee ballot may be cast, up to one day of leave may be granted.
If a jurisdiction allows an early voting period, the same rules apply for those that vote that day because of agency activities restricting them from voting on election day. But if able to vote at either time and opting to vote early, the employee isn’t eligible for excused absence even if the earlier voting period’s hours are shorter.
Each agency’s human resources office should be able to provide further information on implementing the excused absence guidelines.
