OPM Announces Expanded Paid Time Off for Federal Employees to Vote

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released updated guidance allowing federal employees to take paid time off to vote or serve as poll workers.

According to OPM, federal employees may receive up to four hours of administrative leave to vote in federal, state, local, tribal and territorial elections. “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,” the guidance said. Previous guidance recognized voting as only a one-day occurrence.

In addition to voting, employees may use up to four hours of administrative leave per year to serve as non-partisan poll workers or observers. 

The updated guidance follows President Biden’s Promoting Access to Voting executive order signed last year that directed OPM to explore strategies to expand the federal government’s policy of granting employees time off to vote.