Sunday, November 4, 2012

CA - State law: You can leave work to vote

OFF THE WIRE
Just a friendly reminder, you can miss part of your workday to vote in Tuesday's presidential election if you otherwise wouldn't have time.
California law requires employers to offer workers -- who otherwise could not get to the polls -- up to two hours of paid leave to take care of their civic duty. You should generally give your boss two working days notice in order to get the time off.
That's according to Dan Eaton, an employment attorney at San Diego's Seltzer Caplan McMahon & Vitek. Here's his full explanation of the law:
Under California election law, an employer need not give time off for an employee to vote unless the employee does not have enough time outside of working hours to vote in a statewide election. If the employee does not have enough time to vote in a statewide election outside of working hours, an employer must give the employee up to two hours of paid leave either at the beginning or the end of the regular work shift, whichever allows the most free time for voting and least time off from the regular working shift, unless otherwise mutually agreed. An employee generally must give the employer two working days' notice that the employee seeks time off for voting.