Although federal law has no voting-time requirement for employers, 35 states, plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, have laws addressing employers’ responsibility to employees on election days.
Some of the mandates are more detailed than others, nearly all apply to every employer, and many include penalties for employers that violate the voting leave laws.
Employers must be aware of the specific provisions that apply in the states where their employees work. An overview of voting-leave parameters, with individual states cited for purposes of illustration, is provided here to alert employers to potential scheduling, timekeeping, and payroll issues.
Fifteen states ...