Election Day - November 2, 2010
Tomorrow is Election Day as I’m sure everyone is well aware based on the campaign advertisements which have been dominating the airwaves and mailboxes lately. The polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. So, how should employers handle it when employees want to vote during the work day?
In past elections, Minnesota employers only had to allow an employee, who was eligible to vote, to be absent from work for the purpose of voting during the morning of Election Day. That is no longer the case. Effective April 2, 2010, in Minnesota, every employee who is eligible to vote in an election has the right to be absent from work for the time necessary to appear at the employee's polling place, cast a ballot, and return to work on the day of the election, without penalty or deduction from salary or wages because of the absence. An employer or other person may not interfere with this right. Minn. Stat. § 204C.04. Employers who violate Minn. Stat. § 204C.04 can be charged with a misdemeanor.
Minnesota employers remember to allow your employees the right to exercise their civic duty to vote in tomorrow’s election. I know I will be getting my little red "I vote" sticker first thing in the morning.
