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Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Employee Time Off to Vote on Election Day


Today, is Election Day in Illinois so we offer a "Q&A" about employees and voting rights.

Question: Several of my employees have indicated they want to take an hour off during Election Day to vote. Do I have to allow them to use time off to vote?

Answer: Although there is no federal law that requires employers to give employees time off to vote, Illinois has adopted a law that requires employers to give employees two consecutive hours of paid time off on the day of an election in order to vote. The time off can only take place during the time polls are open - in this case, from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  

The law does not apply to early voting, and also does not apply to employees who are not required to work for a two hour period after the polls open or before they close. So, an employee who works a 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. shift would not be able to request two hours off to vote. Employees must request the time off prior to Election Day (not on Election Day), and employers can generally specify which two hours their employees can take off to vote. 

Post Authored by Julie Tappendorf

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