How does your hospital handle staff who want to vote?

[directcare4me]

I've worked as a nurse for several years. I have never noticed a particular problem on election day with staff getting away to vote. Usually we put up a sign-up sheet a few days before for people to pick early, or late and we cover for each other. Hasn't ever been a problem before. However, this time we have received LOTS of "encouragement" to vote early. (In my state we can vote starting tomorrow, Saturday, and Monday, at the county election board.) This isn't convenient or even possible for some of us, due to working those days.

Though our policy doesn't require it, we have been notifying our management team that we will be voting on the way to work, or leaving early to go vote. Our management has not actually said that we won't be able to vote on Tuesday, but are saying things like, "I don't know how we're going to do it", and "really, everybody just needs to vote early". The only difference I see from 4 years ago is completely different management; none of them were here then.

My question to all of you is, how does your facility handle this? Our HR policy makes it clear that employees must be allowed to vote. How would you handle a situation if you arrived at work on election day and then were told that you just couldn't go vote unless you found coverage for yourself?

Thanks.

[Agnus]

Every state makes provisions for this. One is as you said early voting. The other is absentee ballot. As long as you send in your ballot early enough to arrive by election day it will be counted.

By most state's law your employer has to allow up to 2 hours for you to vote. In my case 2 hours is not enough, if I go to work and then leave vote and return.. Polls open at 0700 work starts at 0645 and I live a good hour away and the polls close before I finish work.

I am on our county election board and I work the polls in a different town from where I live. (have to as my DH is running for office where we live so I can't work the polls there) Consequently there is no time on election day for me to vote and I am a poll worker. I have to vote early or absentee.

[eak16]

Interesting- just today I switched shifts with a fellow RN so that she could vote on Tuesday (I am voting by absentee). She was very grateful, and I'll be watching the elction returns from peeks into patients rooms!

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

I was worried about how I'd get away to vote- my boss is freaking out about everything right now, so I didn't even want to approach her about it. I just found out I'm scheduled to work only 6 hrs on Tues, and will be off of work about 2pm, plenty of time to vote. What a relief!

[rn-jane]

i'm working sixteen hours so not sure i will be voting.

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

I am fortunate, we vote by mail! (even though it would still be very fun to vote in a voters booth, but since they went mail, we don't have that anymore...that's kinda sad).

It is nice though, I can take my time...voters book in hand (ours is two books this year...eeek like studying for finals! LOL), and make sure I don't make any mistakes. I just took it down to my local library on the way back from work and put it into the voters box (located in each library in my state, and any courthouse). It was too late to mail it, but dropping it off was no probelm. That way we all get a chance to vote and really look at what we are voting for before we just pick (we had several weeks to examine the voters book and 2 weeks to fill out your ballots).

Yes, I too believe that I remember reading an item in my facilities policy books about time for voting (they hadn't taken it out yet) and you have two hours. Check with your facilities policies. And I know at my facility they will actually take your ballot if you don't have time and drop it off at the courthouse for you (since they are doing it for my residents too...they have no probelm with staff..it is in a locked box not to be opened till they get to the courthouse and has to be seen opened by a courthouse staff).

Wow... if I had to vote outside of work...I may have been at a serious disadvantage. But where there is a will...there is a way, and voting..heck I would find a way :)

Good luck to you all..and happy voting!!!!!!!

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

People who work long hours should try to vote early. You know it will be next to impossible to vote on a day you work, so plan ahead. Otherwise, allowing people a specific time to vote would be appropriate, I think. Of course, some people work so far from home they could never get to the polls in the allotted time. Another reason to plan ahead.

[SmilingBluEyes]

I am fortunate; In my state, absentee balloting is allowed early, so I have already voted. Hence, no problem for many of us, at least in the 30 or so states that allow this.

In your case, I think people should be allowed a brief time to get away and vote. Can you cover for each other for the time it takes to allow someone to clock out and vote? Also, Are your polls NOT open til at least 8??? I would ask the nightshift to come in a few minutes early, so as to allow day staff to leave and vote on the way home. That sounds like a reasonable solution to me.

[rollingstone]

For this election I voted early using an absentee ballot. No driving to the poles, no waiting in line.

[SoulShine75]

i'm working sixteen hours so not sure i will be voting.

Vote by an absentee ballot.

[oramar]

Geeze, what time do the polls close where you live. I live in Pa. and no one has ever left a job where I worked to vote. The polls are open from 7am to 9pm and most people can go before they go to work or after. I pass the polls on the way to work so many times I have stopped and voted on the way to do evening shift. They only person I can think of who would miss voting would be someone who was doing a unexpected double. It has never come up but I guess it could.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

There is no acceptable excuse for not voting, with the options of early voting and absentee voting.

People who dont vote are just failing to use own of their most basic privileges in life.