(A) As used in this section:
(1) "Fair Labor Standards Act" or "Act" means the "Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938," 52 Stat. 1062, 29 U.S.C.A. 201, as amended.
(2) "Full election day" means the period of time between the opening of the polls and the completion of the procedures contained in section3501.26of the Revised Code.
(3) "Services" means services at each general, primary, or special election.
(B) Beginning with calendar year 2004, each precinct election official in a county shall be paid for the official's services at the same hourly rate, which shall be not less than the minimum hourly rate established by the Fair Labor Standards Act and not more than ninety-five dollars per diem.
(C) The secretary of state shall establish, by rule adopted under section111.15of the Revised Code, the maximum amount of per diem compensation that may be paid to precinct election officials under this section each time the Fair Labor Standards Act is amended to increase the minimum hourly rate established by the act. Upon learning of such an increase, the secretary of state shall determine by what percentage the minimum hourly rate has been increased under the act and establish a new maximum amount of per diem compensation that precinct election officials may be paid under this section that is increased by the same percentage that the minimum hourly rate has been increased under the act.
(D)(1)(a) No board of elections shall increase the pay of a precinct election official under this section during a calendar year unless the board has given written notice of the proposed increase to the board of county commissioners not later than the first day of October of the preceding calendar year.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in division (D)(2) of this section, a board of elections may increase the pay of a precinct election official during a calendar year by up to, but not exceeding, nine per cent over the compensation paid to a precinct election official in the county where the board is located during the previous calendar year, if the compensation so paid during the previous calendar year was eighty-five dollars or less per diem.
(c) Except as otherwise provided in division (D)(2) of this section, a board of elections may increase the pay of a precinct election official during a calendar year by up to, but not exceeding, four and one-half per cent over the compensation paid to a precinct election official in the county where the board is located during the previous calendar year, if the compensation so paid during the previous calendar year was more than eighty-five but less than ninety-five dollars per diem.
(2) The board of county commissioners may review and comment upon a proposed increase and may enter into a written agreement with a board of elections to permit an increase in the compensation paid to precinct election officials for their services during a calendar year that is greater than the applicable percentage limitation described in division (D)(1)(b) or (c) of this section.
(E) No precinct election official who works less than the full election day shall be paid the maximum amount allowed under this section or the maximum amount as set by the board of elections, whichever is less.
(F)(1) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (F)(4) to (6) of this section, any employee of the state or of any political subdivision of the state may serve as a precinct election official on the day of an election without loss of the employee's regular compensation for that day as follows:
(a) For employees of a county office, department, commission, board, or other entity, or of a court of common pleas, county court, or county-operated municipal court, as defined in section1901.03of the Revised Code, the employee's appointing authority may permit leave with pay for this service in accordance with a resolution setting forth the terms and conditions for that leave passed by the board of county commissioners.
(b) For all other employees of a political subdivision of the state, leave with pay for this service shall be subject to the terms and conditions set forth in an ordinance or a resolution passed by the legislative authority of the applicable political subdivision.
(c) For state employees, leave with pay for this service shall be subject to the terms and conditions set forth by the head of the state agency, as defined in section1.60of the Revised Code, by which the person is employed.
(2) Any terms and conditions set forth by a board of county commissioners, legislative authority of a political subdivision, or head of a state agency under division (F)(1) of this section shall include a standard procedure for deciding which employees are permitted to receive leave with pay if multiple employees of an entity or court described in division (F)(1)(a) of this section, of an entity of a political subdivision described in division (F)(1)(b) of this section, or of a state agency as defined in section1.60of the Revised Code apply to serve as a precinct election official on the day of an election. This procedure shall be applied uniformly to all similarly situated employees.
(3) Any employee who is eligible for leave with pay under division (F)(1) of this section shall receive, in addition to the employee's regular compensation, the compensation paid to the precinct election official under division (B) or (C) of this section.
(4) Division (F)(1) of this section does not apply to either of the following:
(a) Election officials;
(b) Public school teachers.
(5) Nothing in division (F)(1) of this section supersedes or negates any provision of a collective bargaining agreement in effect under Chapter 4117. of the Revised Code.
(6) If a board of county commissioners, legislative authority of a political subdivision, or head of a state agency fails to set forth any terms and conditions under division (F)(1) of this section, an employee of an entity or court described in division (F)(1)(a) of this section, of an entity of a political subdivision described in division (F)(1)(b) of this section, or of a state agency as defined in section1.60of the Revised Code may use personal leave, vacation leave, or compensatory time, or take unpaid leave, to serve as a precinct election official on the day of an election.
(G) The board of elections may withhold the compensation of any precinct election official for failure to obey the instructions of the board or to comply with the law relating to the duties of a precinct election official. Any payment a precinct election official is entitled to receive under section3501.36of the Revised Code is in addition to the compensation the official is entitled to receive under this section.
Last updated July 29, 2025 at 3:07 PM