The Government Delegation sets permits of up to four hours for 29N

Public employees working on Sunday, November 29, 2026, will be entitled to paid leave of up to four hours to vote in the elections for the Congress of Deputies and the Senate. This is established by the Resolution of October 28, 2026, of the Government Delegation in Extremadura, published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Cáceres number 0209, dated October 30, 2026, with reference BOP-2026-5106. The text also regulates leave for postal voting and the regime for those serving on polling stations.

Royal Decree 806/2026, of October 5, on the dissolution of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate and the calling of elections, published in the Official State Gazette number 248, of October 6, set the election date for November 29, 2026. The resolution signed by the delegate María Teresa Macías Mateos in Badajoz develops Article 13 of Royal Decree 605/1999, of April 16, on guarantees of the electoral process, and is based on Article 73 of Law 40/2015, of October 1, on the Legal Regime of the Public Sector, which grants the Government Delegation competencies over the personnel of the General State Administration in the autonomous community.

The announcement is published in Section III, State Administration, through the Government Sub-delegation in Cáceres, and occupies pages 24745 to 24748 of the provincial gazette. Its scope is limited to public employees providing services in the General State Administration in Extremadura, such that the resolution distinguishes three scenarios: those who vote in person, those who do so by mail, and those designated as members of polling stations.

Leave according to overlap with voting hours

The polls will remain open from 9:00 to 20:00 hours. The duration of the leave is calculated based on how many hours of the work schedule overlap with that window:

• No right to paid leave: when the work schedule does not overlap with the voting hours or overlaps for less than two hours.
• Two hours: when the overlap is two or more hours and less than four.
• Three hours: when the overlap is four or more hours and less than six.
• Four hours: when the overlap is six or more hours with the voting schedule.

The Personnel Unit of each center is responsible for the distribution of the period in which employees have the leave to vote, based on the organization of work. In the case of part-time staff with a workday shorter than the usual for their activity, the duration of the leave is reduced in the same proportion existing between their workday and that of full-time employees.

Substitution of leave for postal voting

Public employees who provide services far from their habitual residence, or who find themselves in other conditions that hinder the exercise of the right to vote on election day, may substitute the leave corresponding to them for another of an identical nature. This leave is intended for personally submitting the request for the certification accrediting registration in the Census, as provided for in Article 72 of Organic Law 5/1985, of June 19, on the General Electoral Regime, as well as for the submission of the mail-in vote.

The duration is calculated using the same time-overlap criteria already described, although in this case, the opening hours of the Post Offices and their overlap with the working day are taken into account. The leave shall be enjoyed within the period legally established for the exercise of voting by correspondence.

Full day for presidents, members, scrutineers, and proxies

The resolution dedicates its fifth section to those designated for the polling stations:

• Presidents, members, and scrutineers will have paid leave during the entire day of voting, provided they do not have their weekly rest on that day, and a reduction of five hours from their working day on the immediately following day.
• Proxies will have paid leave during the entire electoral day if they also do not rest on that day.

Furthermore, if any of these employees were assigned the night shift on the date immediately preceding the electoral day, they may request a shift change to be able to rest the night before the vote.

Impact on public staff in the province

The resolution arrives barely a month before the electoral date and forces the personnel units of the General State Administration in the province to reorganize shifts and services on a Sunday. The calendar of staggered leave, from two to four hours depending on the time overlap, and the subsequent five-hour reduction for polling station members condition the coverage of public services that do not interrupt on Sundays, such as citizen service centers or centers with rotating shifts.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Cáceres, number 0209, of October 30, 2026, Section III - State Administration, pages 24745-24748 (official reference: BOP-2026-5106).