Federal authorities initiate tightening regulations on federal employees taking leave to cast their ballots
In a series of executive orders, President Donald Trump has called on agency heads to cease all actions implementing paid leave for voting for federal employees, a policy that was initially introduced by President Joe Biden.
The first executive order, signed on Trump's first day in office, revoked a previously issued order by President Biden that allowed paid leave for federal employees looking to vote. This move was followed by another order in March, which further reinforced the directive to halt the implementation of paid leave for voting.
As a result, the Office of Personnel Management began requiring agencies to provide federal employees up to 4 hours of administrative leave for voting, subject to an agency's determination that it would not significantly impair mission-essential operations. However, the Trump administration has since notified employees that they can no longer use paid administrative leave to vote.
The Interior Department and the Forest Service, two notable federal agencies, have taken steps to enforce this new policy. The Interior Department removed implementation guidance on the leave-for-voting policy from its website, but there is no mention of personal vacation time. The Forest Service, on the other hand, has stated that employees are not authorized to use administrative leave to vote or participate in voting-related activities. However, employees can request taking their personal vacation time for voting purposes.
The Trump administration's stance on paid voting leave has caused some confusion among federal workers. Some reported difficulty in getting their employers to honor the voting leave policy in 2022. Despite this, the then-acting OPM Director Rob Shriver issued a memorandum reminding agency heads of the new voting leave rules ahead of the 2024 election.
The reminder complies with an executive order President Trump signed on his first day in office. This order also revoked a bevy of previously issued presidential actions, including one signed by President Biden to allow paid leave for federal employees looking to vote.
As primary elections for state legislatures and governors in New Jersey and Virginia approach next month, the lack of clear guidance on paid voting leave for federal employees could potentially impact voter turnout. It remains to be seen how this situation will unfold in the coming days.
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