Many employers are unaware of state voting leave laws. Due to the pandemic, we anticipate many people will rely on early voting this year. And many states have made changes to election policies that will only be in effect for the 2020 election.
Review Voting Leave Laws
It is a good idea to review your state voting leave laws and internal policies to make sure your are compliant. Most states require that employers provide at least a few hours off to vote, and many of those require that at least some of that time off be paid.
Employers in states with early voting may want to encourage employees to take advantage of that option—by offering the same time off benefit—to reduce the number of absences on Election Day. The availability of early voting and absentee ballots, however, does not change an employee’s right to vote on Election Day if that is their preference.
California Voting Leave Requirements
California requires that a notice about employees’ voting rights be posted in a conspicuous location in the workplace. Employees who are working from home or who do not report to the workplace regularly should be provided with these notices electronically.
- California Tip:
California requires that the notice be posted at least 10 days before the election—which is October 24, a Saturday. For Monday through Friday workplaces in California, we recommend posting or sending this notice by Friday the 23rd.
California Voter Notice Workplace Posters
California’s notice can be found on the Secretary of State website in the elections section. There are poster version in English here and in other languages here.
National Voting Laws Resources
Early Voting Laws by State
The National Conference of State Legislatures website offers a list of on early voting laws by state. This resource reflects the permanent state law and provides a state-by-state comparison of policies in the table. NOTE: This site Currently it does NOT account for changes in election policies due to the pandemic or other factors that will only be in effect for the 2020 election.
State by State Voting Requirements & Information
The Us Vote Foundation has a search tools to find specific dates and times for your voting district check with your local elections office. This page has information on how to contact your local elections office. This resource can help employers understand what voting options are available to employees and polling times for in-person voting to forecast and plan for employee requests.
HR Support Center Portal
Clients that subscribe to the HR Support Center can access the portal and access “voting” to learn about the voting leave law in their state. There is also a Quickstart Guide that addresses political conversations in the workplace and ways that employers can support employees’ ability to vote—you can find it by searching for “Quickstart voting."
