The Department permits the following regarding administrative leave and voting:

• Employees may use up to 4 hours of administrative leave for voting in connection with each Federal general election day. The administrative leave may be used for voting on the Federal general election day or for early voting (i.e., voting prior to Federal general election day, as authorized by their jurisdiction).
• Employees may use up to 4 hours of administrative leave for voting in connection with each election event (including primaries and caucuses) at the Federal, State, local (i.e., county and municipal), Tribal, and territorial level that does not coincide with a Federal general election day. (If an election simultaneously involves more than one level, it is considered to be a single election event.) This administrative leave may be used for voting on the established election day or for early voting, whichever option is used by the employee with respect to an election event.
• For Federal special Congressional elections not held on the date of a Federal general election, the Department allows employees to use up to 4 hours of administrative leave for voting. This administrative leave may be granted for voting on the established date of a special election or for authorized early voting in connection with that election.
• The Department allows employees to use up to 4 hours of administrative leave per leave year to serve as a non-partisan poll worker or to participate in non-partisan observer activities at the Federal, State, local (i.e., county and municipal), Tribal, and territorial level. (A “leave year” begins on the first day of the first pay period commencing on or after January 1 of the given year and ends on the day before the first day of the next leave year.) This leave is in addition to any administrative leave an employee uses to vote.

Scheduling of administrative leave for the above-described purposes is subject to a determination by the Department that the employee can be relieved of duty during the specific period requested by the employee without significantly impairing mission-essential operations. If an employee needs to spend less than 4 hours to vote, only the needed amount of administrative leave should be granted. Administrative leave may not be used during a non-workday or during overtime work hours outside the tour of duty established for leave charging purposes. Administrative leave may be used for any travel time to and from the employee’s voting poll location.

Note: an employee may use up to 4 hours of administrative leave per leave year for the purpose of serving as a non-partisan poll worker or non-partisan observer, including training periods. If those duties require the employee to be absent for a longer period, the employee must use annual leave (accrued or advanced), earned compensatory time off, or credit hours earned under a flexible work schedule. An employee may also request leave without pay.

Updated September 2024.