Shared governance at most universities affects multiple levels of administrative hierarchy. At the broadest level is the university as a whole. Faculty may participate in university-wide committees or participate in university-wide governance through the mechanism of voting, usually as a departmental representative, at meetings of a Faculty Senate. Most universities are subdivided into "faculties" or "colleges" containing groups of related departments, such as a "Faculty of Fine Arts" or "College of Social Sciences," led by deans. Colleges or faculties normally have their own senates and committees. The smallest administrative unit of the university is the department, which has its own governance structure, with multiple committees. Professors serve on departmental committees and vote in departmental meetings and may have additional responsibilities on college or university administrative levels, especially after tenure. In some universities, especially in Canada, faculty unions also are actively involved in providing a collective voice for the faculty on working conditions, and faculty members are often asked to vote on union priorities.
Faculty members rarely have committee assignments during sabbaticals. Lack of committee assignments results in a less active role in university governance. Because the primary purpose of a sabbatical is research, normally the only sabbatical service obligations are ongoing graduate supervisions at the doctoral level.
Many faculty members choose to travel on sabbatical. Distance precludes participation in shared governance, except in those matters where some electronic voting system has been enabled. Another option, if a major departmental decision in your specialty is being made in your absence, is to arrange to be present by speakerphone or other technological means.
Although faculty members do not become ineligible to vote while on sabbatical, most choose to focus on their sabbatical projects, rather than participating in service activities.
Although standard practice in most North American universities leaves voting rights unchanged during sabbaticals, you should check the relevant bylaws at your specific institution. The American Association of University Professors and the Canadian Association of University Teachers recommend guidelines for shared governance for universities in their respective countries.