Updated 1/14/25
Voting Leave: The University System of Georgia (USG) encourages employees to exercise their constitutional right to vote in all federal, state, and local elections. In Compliance with state law, an employee who is qualified and registered to vote must be granted sufficient leave time, up to a maximum of two (2) hours, to permit the employee to vote in any municipal, county, state, or federal political party primary or election for which such employee is qualified and registered to vote. Such leave will be granted with pay for regular, fully benefited employees.
Voting Leave
Institutions must grant eligible employees up to a maximum of two (2) hours of leave to vote in any municipal, county, state, or federal political party primary or election for which such employee is qualified and registered to vote.
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- Regular fully benefited employees are eligible to receive such time off with pay. For those employees not eligible for paid time off for voting, institutions must provide flexible schedules, up to the two (2) hour maximum, as necessary for voting purposes.
- Voting leave may be granted only on one of the days that are designated for advance in-person voting or on the day on which such primary or election is held.
- An employee must provide their supervisor with reasonable notice and are responsible for requesting and obtaining approval from their supervisor in advance of taking time off to vote. The institution may specify the hours during which an employee may take voting leave to ensure minimal disruption of operations.
- Voting leave is not cumulative and an employee who does not use the entire time allowed at the time of each election does not accrue any right to any subsequent paid or unpaid leave.
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Court Duty Leave: The USG also recognizes an employee’s obligation to appear when summoned for court duty and shall grant leave with pay to regular fully benefited employees for the purpose of serving on a jury or as a witness.
Court Duty Leave
Court duty leave with pay shall be granted to regular fully benefited employees to attend a judicial proceeding in response to a subpoena, jury duty summons, or other court order or process which requires the attendance of the employee during scheduled work hours. Such leave shall be granted upon presentation of an official order by a court of competent jurisdiction (i.e., summons, subpoena, or other court order) to the employee’s supervisor.
Employees must notify their supervisor to coordinate with departmental scheduling. As employees will typically not know in advance how much time will be required to fulfill their court obligation, employees may be required to update their supervisor/institution at reasonable intervals concerning the time needed for absence from work.
Eligible employees will receive paid court leave while on jury duty, summoned to appear as a witness, or required by a court to attend a proceeding for the time they are otherwise scheduled to work.
Compensation will not be received for court duty time that exceeds the employee’s regular work schedule.
Employees may keep any juror fees and travel allowances they receive from the court.
Employees will not receive paid court leave for their own personal obligations as listed below. When paid court leave is not applicable, the employee must use other eligible leaves that are available (e.g., annual leave, deferred holiday, etc.), or take leave without pay if other eligible leave balances are not available.
Paid Court Duty Leave may not be used to attend a trial, arbitration hearing, or other judicial proceeding in which the employee is:
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- Charged with a crime.
- A plaintiff or defendant.
- Voluntarily appears as a witness (i.e., was not ordered by the Court to attend).
- A witness in a case arising from or related to their outside employment or outside business activity.
- Testifying for a fee as an expert witness; or,
- Has any other personal or familial interest in the proceeding.
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