The ins and outs of Election Day
October 19, 2022 | Anne Janotta Erickson
I served as an election judge in 2016. It was a fascinating opportunity to learn more about the rules of voting in Minnesota. But even for those of us who are more involved in the process than the average voter, it’s hard to recall every detail.
Recently, HR expert Larry Morgan reminded me of some of these rules and how they tie back to the business community.
Here’s a synopsis of what employers should know ahead of the Nov. 8 election:
- Private employers may prohibit employees from wearing political buttons and having political information at the desks. However, employers may not restrict literature displayed at one’s desk or the wearing political buttons in break rooms during off duty time.
- Employers may not restrict employees from wearing union support buttons, lanyards, etc., which may include statements such as “Union 123 supports candidate John Smith for District 12 Congress.”
- Public sector employers may not restrict employees from wearing political buttons unless the buttons would cause a safety issue based on their job functions.
- Employees serving as election judges must be paid for normal work hours as required under Minnesota law.
- Also under Minnesota law, while you may encourage employees to vote before and after work hours, employees must be provided with a reasonable period of paid time to vote if they cannot vote early or late.
- Employers should exercise caution in organization announcements, emails, required meetings, onsite presence of political candidates and posters/signage on company grounds that may be perceived as encouraging employees for whom they should vote.
Did this list spur additional questions? Reach out to Larry via the
HR Hotline, a benefit of MNCPA membership.
And, of course, get out and vote Nov. 8. As Linda Wedul noted in her
recent blog post, Minnesota is a leader in voter turnout. Let’s keep it that way.
Topics: Legislative & Government Affairs, Human Resources, Government
Anne Janotta Erickson
Anne Janotta Erickson has been a part of the MNCPA membership team since 2008. When she’s not making corporate CPAs feel like rockstars or rescuing members from CPA certificate mishaps, you can find her at home embarrassing her kids with questionable karaoke choices, usually of the Elvis variety. If you get the chance, ask her about plant propagating, campfire building or dining out in Minneapolis where she and her family reside.
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