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Become an Election Official
The City of Madison allows its employees to work at the polls on Election Day without having to take time off or lose compensation! This is your opportunity to participate in the very foundation of our democracy and learn a new aspect of city government. To sign up for a shift, visit our Election Officials page
MGO 3.32(15): Election Day Leave
(a) State law requires that employees be allowed time off for the purpose of voting on Election Day. Any employee wishing to vote during regular work hours should notify their supervisor in advance of the Election Day. Any employee having given notice prior to Election Day may take up to three (3) hours of vacation, compensatory time, floating holiday or absence without pay for the purpose of voting on Election Day. The City, specifically the Department or Division head, reserves the right to designate the time of day in which the employee is released from work to vote.
(b) An employee appointed to serve as a City of Madison election official pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 7.30 may use his or her vacation, holiday and/or compensatory leave during the period of time he or she would have been scheduled to work and serves as an election official. In such a case, the employee receives his or her regular rate of pay and is allowed to retain any compensation earned or received for their service as an election official.
(c) For such time as an employee is serving as a City of Madison election official pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 7.30 during the twenty-four-hour period of an election day, and is not using vacation, holiday or compensatory leave, he or she shall remain on the payroll for those hours which they would have otherwise worked for the City and shall receive in addition a check in the amount of the election official compensation for the hours where there is no overlap between the employee's regular or scheduled hours and the hours they serve as an election official. (Am. by ORD-08-00138, 12-23-08)
(d) An employee appointed to serve as an election official pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 7.30 for any jurisdiction other than the City of Madison shall upon proper notice and pursuant to Wis. Stats. § 7.33(3) be granted an unpaid leave of absence for the entire twenty-four-hour period of each election day in which the employee serves in his/her official capacity as an election official.
(e) An employee who serves as an election official shall provide their Department/Division Head with at least seven days written notice of their anticipated service as an election official.