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There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
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Atlanta, GA | Posted: October 21, 2020
Summary Sentence:
Georgia Tech policy provides two hours of paid leave for eligible staff who need more time to reach the polls.
Full Summary:
The University System of Georgia (USG) and Georgia Tech leadership encourage all employees to exercise their civic responsibilities, including their right to vote in upcoming elections.
Vote 2020Early voting is already in progress in Georgia and Election Day is just around the corner. Although locations and hours for voting may vary based on where you live, there is one thing projected to be the same every where you go: long wait times.
Good news. Georgia Tech has a policy for that.
Benefits-eligible employees may receive (2) hours of paid time off to vote. The two hours of paid time off to vote is only available to employees when the polls are not open two hours before an employee’s work shift begins or two hours after an employee’s work schedule ends.
If an employee’s work schedule does not provide sufficient time to vote on national and statewide election days, managers are encouraged to provide employees with a flexible work schedule to support voting participation. A flexible work schedule may include arriving earlier, leaving later, or a different lunch break than the employee's regular schedule.
Here is a reminder of Georgia Tech’s policy regarding paid time off to vote:
Leave of Absence Policy 2.11:
Voting Employees are encouraged to exercise their constitutional right to vote in all federal, state, and location elections. If election polls are not open at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after an employee’s normally scheduled work shift, sufficient leave time must be granted to permit the employee to vote. In this instance, an employee should be granted a two-hour block of time in which to vote, if needed. Time off under this provision is with pay for benefit eligible employees.
View the full policy here: policylibrary.gatech.edu/employment/leave-absence.
How To Request Leave
Request paid time off to vote the same way you request vacation or sick leave -through Employee Self-Service in OneUSG Connect.
Here is the job aid for submitting an absence request for a partial day. The Absence Type should be Voting.
Information on early, or advance voting can be found here: georgia.gov/early-voting.
For questions, please reach out to your local Human Resources Business Partner or Representative.
