California employers are legally required to post a notice to employees advising them of their right to take time off for the purpose of voting in statewide elections.
The California Secretary of States office has provided samples of the required notice. The notices can be downloaded from the Secretary of State’s website. Links to the posters are also provided below. Employers may also call the Elections Division at (916) 657-2166 to order posters of the notices.
The employee notice must be posted either in the workplace or where it can be seen by employees as they enter or exit their place of work.
The employee notice must be posted at least 10 days before a statewide election – the notice must be posted by Saturday, October 26. A statewide election is an election held throughout the state. This would include the upcoming national election to be held on November 5, 2024.
While polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and should provide most employees adequate opportunity to vote, employees are eligible for two hours of paid time off to vote ONLY if do not have sufficient time outside of working hours to vote. Employees can be given as much time as they need in order to vote, but only a maximum of two hours is paid.
Employers may require employees to give advance notice that they will need additional time off for voting. Employers may require time off to be taken only at the beginning or end of the employee’s shift.
The notices to employees and employers regarding employee time off for voting is available as a PDF download by clicking on one of the following links:
This Newsletter is intended as a brief summary of employment law. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, it is not intended to serve as “legal advice,” or to establish an attorney-client relationship. If additional information is needed on any of the topics contained herein, please contact our office. All rights reserved. ©2024