State law guards workers' right to vote

ST. LOUIS -- A state law that guarantees workers time off to vote -- if they give at least a day's notice -- gives Missouri one of the strongest laws in the nation protecting workers' voting rights.

Employees are guaranteed up to three hours off to head to the polls. Employers who refuse to comply can be fined $2,500 and face a year in jail.

Like other laws nationwide, Missouri's law guarantees employees the right, as long as they notify their bosses at least a day before the election. Employers can decide when the employee heads to the polls. If a would-be voter waits until Election Day to request the time off, the law does not require the employer to let the worker go.

At least four other states -- Hawaii, Maryland, Oklahoma and Wyoming -- have similarly strong voting laws.

Wages for time spent at the polls are also protected. Compensation is not guaranteed for workers whose shifts begin three hours after polls open or end three hours before polls close. Polls in Missouri are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Less stringent states, such as Illinois, give workers two hours to vote but specify no penalties for employers who do not comply. In addition, Illinois does not provide for pay during time spent voting.

There are no known Missouri cases in which an employer has been punished for denying an employee the right to vote, according to Missouri Secretary of State Spokesman Spence Jackson.

The Missouri General Assembly passed the law in 1977. A recently enacted Missouri law also says an employer cannot penalize a worker for taking the day off to be an election judge, Jackson said.

St. Louis County Republican Director of Elections David Welch said he has not heard of any workers complaining about employers interfering with their right to vote.

"Have I heard people say, 'I was too busy to take the time to vote'? Yes," Welch said. "But that's the person making that choice with their time."