Explanation
Earlier this year, the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation (Am. Sub. HB 262) granting public employees leave with pay for the purpose of being a poll worker on Election Day. This leave does not reduce any accrued leave balance the employee may have. For a variety of reasons, the available pool from which County Boards of Elections across Ohio can recruit qualified poll workers has declined in recent years, prompting some political jurisdictions to extend the privilege and opportunity to their own employees. In Franklin County, the Board of Elections must recruit , train, and field 3,200 poll workers for an average Election Day, and 4,800 workers during a Presidential Election.
An adequate number of qualified poll workers helps ensure that the democratic process works well, that voters can participate in a reasonable amount of time, and that the Board of Elections can fulfill its statutory mandate to fully staff each polling location with competent workers.
It is the desire of the City Council to enact legislation to extend the opportunity to City workers to work election polls.
Title
To amend the Management Compensation Plan, Ordinance No. 2944-99, as amended, by amending Section 10, Special Leave With Pay, to enact (H), Precinct Election Official Leave Program, to allow employees paid time off at the discretion of their appointing authority to work as a poll worker on Election Day, and to declare an emergency.
Body
WHEREAS, earlier this year the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation (Am. Sub. HB 262), granting public employees leave with pay for the purpose of being a poll worker on Election Day, and
WHEREAS, the need for said action arose because the pool of qualified poll workers has been shrinking across Ohio, including Franklin County, where the Board of Elections estimates that 3,200 workers are needed for an average Election Day, and 4,800 on a Presidential Election, and
WHEREAS, an adequate number of qualified poll workers helps ensure that the democratic process works well, that voters can participate in a reasonable amount of time, and that the Board of Elections can fulfill its statutory mandate to fully staff each voting location with competent workers, and
WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Columbus City Council to similarly extend the privilege to City workers, and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in that it is immediately necessary to amend the Management Compensation Plan to help ensure needed poll workers for the upcoming Election Day, thereby preserving the public health, peace, property, safety and welfare; Now, Therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
Section 1. That Section 10 of Ordinance No. 2944-99, as amended, be amended to enact the following:
(H) Precinct Election Official Leave Program.
Any employee who is a registered voter of Franklin County, who resides in the City of Columbus, and who meets the other requirements established by the law and the Franklin County Board of Elections may request Election Official Leave with pay for the purposes of being a judge of an election engaged by the Franklin County Board of Elections.
The employee must obtain written authorization for paid Precinct Election Official Leave from the appointing authority prior to contacting the Board of Elections to register as a judge of an election.
The appointing authority reserves the right to reject an application based on operational need. Should several employees apply who perform a similar function and operational need dictates that not all may participate, then priority shall be given by the appointing authority on the basis of the order in which applications are received.
The Board of Elections reserves the right to refuse to place an employee with prior approval for Precinct Election Official leave if the employee's services are not needed on Election Day. In such an instance, the employee must report to work during the employee's regular work hours. Lastly, the Board of Elections may give priority to employees who have served as judges in prior elections.
The employee may be required to attend paid Precinct Election Official training courses as mandated by Ohio law and conducted by the Franklin County Board of Elections. The employee should make every effort to attend said training courses outside of the employee's regular working hours. However, should the employee choose to attend training courses during the employee's regular working hours, such leave is not covered under the Precinct Election Official Leave Program and requires a prior request and authorization for leave with vacation, personal, or compensatory pay. Leave without pay will not be permitted at attend such training courses.
The employee's prompt return to work on the employee's next regular working day is expected, and violation of such is subject to the normal policies and procedures of the employee's appointing authority.
An employee using Precinct Election Official Leave is entitled to the regular compensation awarded to judges of elections under Ohio Law and as established by the Franklin County Board of Elections in addition to the employee's Precinct Official leave with pay. This leave with pay is not to be considered as "hours worked" for the purpose of computing overtime.
As verification that the employee serves as a Precinct Election Official on Election Day, the employee shall submit a copy of the employee's poll worker paycheck or pay-stub provided by the Board of Elections subsequent to each election worked.
Section 2. That this amendment shall be effective immediately passage and approval.
Section 3. That the Director of the Department of Human Resources is directed to take appropriate steps to extend this opportunity to all City employees, subject to the discretion of the appointing authority and operational needs within a given agency.
Section 4. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval by the Mayor, or tens days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.