Friday, October 29, 2004

Wages Slaves, Be Sure to Vote!

Many states require employers to give employees time off to vote.

In Illinois: Employee may take two hours off to vote. Must apply in advance. There is no so specific provision that you will be paid for your time; however, the statute provides that the voter shall not be liable for any penalty for absenting himself to vote. The statute has been interpreted that non-exempt employees will not be paid.

In Kentucky: Employee may take off four hours to vote. Must apply for leave in advance. There is no specific provision that employees will be paid. The statute provides that no person shall be penalized for taking a reasonable time off to vote, unless under circumstances that did not prevent him from voting, he failed to vote. It also states that such a person may be subject to disciplinary action. The Kentucky attorney general has issued an opinion stating that employees of private employers need not be paid for time off taken to vote.

In California: Employee may take time off if there is not sufficient time outside working hours to vote. Employee must give two days notice of need for time off. Employer must post notice of right to take time off to vote 10 days before election. Employee must be paid, for no more than two hours.

In Ohio: Employee may take a reasonable time off to vote. Employee may not be discharged or threatened for taking time off to vote. Violators may be fined from $50 to $500. It is unclear whether employees must be paid. The statute has been interpreted to mean that an employer’s refusal to pay an employee who is employed on other than a piecework, commission, or hourly basis for taking time off to vote, if done to induce or compel a person to refrain from voting or to vote in a certain way, would violate this law.

In Florida: No provision. Figure it out and vote on your own time!

This list shows all the state statutes.

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