In anticipation of tomorrow — Election Day 2013 — employers should be sure their policies and practices on permitting time off to vote are legally compliant. Some states have no time-off requirements while others require time off to vote, with civil or criminal penalties for employers that fail to do so.
State laws vary, as well, regarding the notice, if any, an employee is required to provide regarding his or her intent to take time off to vote, whether voting time must be paid, and whether a notice of such rights must be posted.
In Maryland, every employer must permit any employee who claims to be a registered voter to be absent from work for up to two (2) hours on Election Day to vote if the employee does not have naturally two (2) consecutive non-working hours to vote while the polls are open. Employees must be paid for the time away to vote (up to two hours). Employers can require employees to submit proof of voting or attempt to vote on a form prescribed by the State Board.
Be sure to check all relevant jurisdictions to ensure you are ready for Election Day time off requests and responses.