It’s election season, and while us pet owners are making sure our dogs 🐾 and cats 🐈 aren’t someone’s lunch or dinner, there is the issue of voting laws.
In Florida, I’m often asked whether an employer must provide leave for voting. Here in the Sunshine ☀️ State, the answer is no. Florida does not have any voter leave laws.
However, that’s not so for other states. Whether an employer must provide leave for voting is governed state by state, and it varies. LinkedIn does not give me enough space to cover all 50 states. So, below is a summary of the voter leave laws in some of this year’s battleground states.
Enjoy, and remember, let’s make pets safe again. 😉
🏜️ Arizona
Leave: Employees are entitled to take voting leave if the polls are open for less than three consecutive hours before or after their shift. They can take an amount of leave that provides them with three consecutive hours to vote from the time the polls open until their shift starts or from the time their shift ends until the polls close. You can specify the hours when employees can take such leave.
Pay: You can’t dock an employee’s pay for taking entitled voting leave.
Employee Notice: Employees must request such leave prior to Election Day.
Employer Notice: You are not required to post a notice about employees’ right to take voting leave.
🐅 Ohio
Leave: Eligible employees are entitled to take a reasonable amount of time to vote on Election Day.
Pay: The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has advised that voting leave must be paid for salaried employees but can be unpaid for piecework, commissioned, or hourly employee.
Employee Notice: There is no provision requiring employees to give notice if they plan to vote.
Employer Notice: You are not required to post a notice about employees’ right to take voting leave.
🦅 Pennsylvania
No Voting Leave Law
🦁 Michigan
No Voting Leave Law
🧀 Wisconsin
Leave: Eligible employees are entitled to take up to three consecutive hours while the polls are open. You can designate the time of day for such leave.
Pay: You can’t impose a penalty on employees, other than a deduction for time lost, because they take voting leave as permitted.
Employee Notice: Employees must give notice prior to Election Day.
Employer Notice: You are not required to post a notice about employees’ right to take voting leave.