Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Do you know? Time off to vote on election day


Do you know? Ohio law requires that employers provide all employees a reasonable amount of time off to vote on election day. According to O.R.C. 3599.06:

No employer, his officer or agent, shall discharge or threaten to discharge an elector for taking a reasonable amount of time to vote on election day.... Whoever violates this section shall be fined not less than fifty nor more than five hundred dollars.

The time off does not have to be paid, but companies should be wary of docking salaried employees.

Next Tuesday is election day. Voter turnout is expected to reach an all-time high. Don’t make the mistake of disciplining employees if they arrive late, leave early, or take a long lunch because they are exercising their right to vote.