Elect to Be Prepared This Election Season!

Elect to Be Prepared!

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Election time is nearly upon us, so it is important for employers to prepare to face employee leave requests for voting. In terms of what is legally required, voting leave laws vary by state, and potentially by local ordinance as well, and they vary widely. Some states require paid leave, while others require unpaid leave, and still others have no voting leave laws at all. So, what can you do to prepare?

First, know the applicable laws. You will see a quick reference list below, but keep in mind that local municipalities may have their own laws, even if the state does not. FLSA guidelines still apply, so an exempt/salaried person will still be required to be paid for a full day if they take time off to vote. Also, while your office may be in one state, be mindful of where your employee’s office is when identifying the applicable state law.

Second, communicate with your employees now and encourage them to make their requests in advance. Most states allow for advance notice requirements so that the employer can stagger schedules and prepare for having less staff than normal. In your communication, stipulate that leave will be accommodated but specific times may only be available based on a first-come, first-served basis to allow for proper staffing levels.

Finally, do some quick research. You will want to know what the hours are for your applicable polling locations and what shifts your employees are scheduled. This will let you determine how many employees’ work schedules will need to be modified to allow time for voting. Alabama, for example, allows for 1 hour of unpaid leave but only if the polling location is not open at least 2 hours prior to the employee’s start time or 1 hour after the employee’s shift ends. While local municipalities may have earlier opening times or later closing times, Alabama’s official open polling times are from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. Therefore, any of your employees who are registered to vote in Alabama and are scheduled to either start at 9:00 am or later or are scheduled to end their shift by 6:00 pm are not eligible for required unpaid voting leave. Remember that each state has their own specifications on who qualifies for the leave or how much leave is allowed. Keep in mind that with COVID-19 precautions, additional time may be required for voting. Try to be as flexible as possible, even it means allowing employees to make up lost time on another work day.

If in doubt about how to apply state law specifics or establish a fair policy that meets your organization’s structure, never hesitate to ask for help; that’s why Rocket City HR Consulting is here. Each vote matters, and there is no reason that your business should be disrupted in the process.

State Status Source Law
Alabama  Unpaid  Ala. Code § § 17-1-5 
Alaska  Paid  Alaska Stat. 15.56.100 
Arizona  Paid  Arizona Stat. 16-402 
Arkansas  Unpaid  Arkansas Stat. 7-1-102 
California  Paid  CA Election Code 14000) 
Colorado  Paid  CO Stat. 1-7-102 
Connecticut  No State Law  No State Law 
Delaware  No State Law  No State Law 
D.C.  Paid  D.C. Law 23-110 
Florida  No State Law  No State Law 
Georgia  Unpaid  Georgia Code 21-2-404 
Hawaii  Paid  Haw. Rev. Stat. 11-95 
Idaho  No State Law  No State Law 
Illinois  Unpaid  Illinois Stat. 10 ILCS 5/17-15 
Indiana  No State Law  No State Law 
Iowa  Paid  Iowa Code 49.109 
Kansas  Paid  Kansas Stat. 25-418 
Kentucky  Unpaid  Kentucky Stat. 118.035 
Louisiana  No State Law  No State Law 
Maine  No State Law  No State Law 
Maryland  Paid  Md. Code 1957 Art. 33 §10-315 
Massachusetts  Conditional  Massachusetts Stat. 149.178 
Michigan  No State Law  No State Law 
Minnesota  Paid  Minn. Stat. Ann, §204C.04 
Mississippi  No State Law  No State Law 
Missouri  Paid  Missouri Stat. 115.639 
Montana  No State Law  No State Law 
Nebraska  Paid  Nebraska Stat. 32-922 
Nevada  Paid  Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann §293.463 
New Hampshire  No State Law  No State Law 
New Jersey  No State Law  No State Law 
New Mexico  Paid  N.M. Stat. Ann. §1-12-42 
New York  Paid  N.Y. Elec. Law §3-110 
North Carolina  No State Law  No State Law 
North Dakota  No State Law  No State Law 
Ohio  Unpaid  Ohio Rev. Code Ann. §3599.06 
Oklahoma  Paid  Okla. Stat. Ann.tit.26 §7-101 
Oregon  No State Law  No State Law 
Pennsylvania  No State Law  No State Law 
Puerto Rico  Paid  Act No. 54-2020 
Rhode Island  No State Law  No State Law 
South Carolina  No State Law  No State Law 
South Dakota  Paid  SD Stat. 12-3-5 
Tennessee  Paid  TN Stat. 2-1-106 
Texas  Paid  Tex. Elec. Code Ann. §276.004 
Utah  Paid  Utah Code Ann. §20A-3-103 
Vermont  No State Law  No State Law 
Virginia  No State Law  No State Law 
Washington  No State Law  No State Law 
West Virginia  Paid  W. Va. Code §3-1-42 
Wisconsin  Unpaid  Wis. Stat. Ann. §6.76 
Wyoming  Paid  Wyo. Stat. §22-2-111 

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