HR Offers Election Day Guidance

The Department of Human Resources issued the following "Election Day Guidance" announcement on Oct. 30:

Election Day can present staffing challenges resulting from employee late arrivals and requests to leave early to vote. While accommodating reasonable opportunities to vote, supervisors must also maintain sufficient coverage throughout the day, and employ an approach that is equitably applied to all staff. Some options are provided below to enable managers to maintain uninterrupted service and coverage.

Election Day Attendance Guidelines

ODU employees are encouraged to vote before work, after work, or during lunch breaks. Most polling places open at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m., and voters still standing in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

Classified staff will need to use leave for late arrivals, early departures or extended lunch breaks. Annual, family personal, overtime or compensatory leave may be used for this purpose.

Supervisors are encouraged to make a concerted and equitable effort to approve requests for leave. Supervisors may adjust the schedules of non-exempt employees as an alternative to using leave.

Election Day Volunteers

Classified employees and administrative and professional faculty who serve as Officers of Election are permitted to use up to 8 hours of Civil and Work-Related Leave on Election Day. As with all leave, supervisory approval is required.

Employees who serve as Officers of Election are also permitted to use Civil and Work-Related Leave to attend the required Officer of Election certification training only when the employee's locality does not offer the training during non-work hours. Training schedules are available from local registrars.

If an employee uses Civil and Work-Related Leave to work as an Officer of Election and receives payment for duties and/or training, (s)he must submit the payment to the Commonwealth. If the employee wishes to retain the payment, (s)he must use annual, compensatory, overtime, family/personal or recognition leave. Employees who are reimbursed for expenses are permitted to keep such payments.

Neither Civil and Work-Related Leave nor School Assistance and Volunteer Service Leave can be used by employees who wish to volunteer on Election Day in another capacity (e.g., poll workers not certified as Officers of Election, political workers, etc.). These activities are considered political activities, not community services as defined in policy.

Employees with questions about attendance and leave on Election Day can contact Tony Belk in the Department of Human Resources at 683-3046.