Last week the acting director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Michael Hager, denied a request to give federal employees additional hours of excused absence to vote on Election Day.
Reps. Tom Davis (R-VA) and James Moran (D-VA), who represent a large number of federal workers in northern Virginia, had requested up to five hours of excused absence for federal employees because of the expected high turnout and changes in laws that can increase the amount of time it takes to process votes. Hager’s response to that letter left the decision to grant excused voting absences to the agencies themselves.
Current OPM rules state that if the polls are not open at least three hours before or after an employee’s regular work hours, the employee is allowed to report to work three hours after the polls open or leave work three hours before the polls close, whichever results in the lesser amount of time off. But Hager said only 30 minutes to an hour of excused absence is typically needed to provide employees with that three-hour period before or after the end of the work day, since polling places are usually open for extended periods of time.
"The model we have used for voting for many years, in consultation with the Federal Chief Human Capital Officers and Directors
of Human Resources, is that employees should have at least 3 hours either before or after the end of their workday to vote. If employees do not have a clear, 3-hour block of time, agencies may grant excused absence to supplement the normal time off before or after the end of the workday. Usually only 30 minutes to 1 hour of excused absence would be needed to provide an employee with a 3-hour window of opportunity. Because polling places are usually open for extended periods of time, excused absence is usually not needed at all."
Hager went on to defend the arrangement that “allows for a strong balance of keeping the Federal Government functioning while providing time necessary for employees to exercise their right to vote.” Since it appears that voting went fairly smoothly throughout the country, despite record turnout and long lines during peak hours, it seems that Hager’s response was prudent enough to get the job done.
Still, one can't help but wonder if a national voting holiday would be more effective way of ensuring participation in the political system. Not every workplace is as flexible as the government, and until we can all text message our votes in, the lines won't be getting any shorter any time soon.
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