Election Day : Need Some Advice

[RoyGBiv]

I could look up the statutes, and I will, but I'm too pissed at the moment to think logically. At the moment I'm on the verge of jumping down people's throats, so I need the wisdom of less personally involved voice to formulate a stategy for handling this.

Today all the employees where I work were sent an e-mail memo telling us we were required to attend a sales meeting at 7:30am on November 7th. My standard work shift is from 8:30am thru 7:30pm with an hour off for lunch. I had been planning on voting prior to going to work when the polls open at 7am, but the sales meeting is in a location that involves a 45 minute drive, so that's out. I wouldn't have time to vote during my lunch hour because my polling place is about a 30 minute drive (due to traffic) from my place of employment, and the typical wait time to cast my ballot is anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

I replied to this e-mail memo stating my problem and have not yet received a response.

I live in Oklahoma.

Does anyone know what my legal options are here, stated in such a way that I don't need to hire a lawyer to make my case for being allowed to vote that day viable?

[Wilms]

1. Do employers in OK have to give time off for voting?

"Yes, two hours, unless employee lives so far from polling place that more time is needed."

http://www.workplacefairness.org/index.php?page=votingrights&state=OK#OK


more info and states laws...

http://www.workplacefairness.org/votingrights

[RoyGBiv]

2. Thank you ...

That is exactly what I need.

[Infinite Hope]

3. Awesome Information!!! n/t

[WinstonSmith4740]

I may be way off base with this...

But I'm pretty sure your employer HAS to let you have time off to vote. Do you have a law school around you where you could check? Usually the law library has people working in it that can answer questions like this.

BTW, what do you do that you have to work an 11 hour day? I think when your employer demands those kind of hours PLUS mandatory meetings outside of work hours (which I think may be illegal all by itself), the least they can do is give you some time off every 2 years to vote!! I can understand your anger.

Personally, I'd probably be real sick on election day and not be able to go to work at all.:evilgrin:

[RoyGBiv]

5. If it comes to that ...

I have 70+ hours of vacation/sick leave I have not taken yet, which will run out the last day of December. The plan was to have this time not taken paid to me as sort of a Christmas bonus, but I'll use what's needed of it for the election if it comes to that. However, my complaint is that I shouldn't have to use it.

Anyway ... like I said, I'm pissed at the moment and not currently thinking in purely logical terms. I got this memo five minutes before I left work (and the person who sent it is on vacation for the next 7 days, naturally), so I am currently trying to formulate a professional response to this for tomorrow when I offer a formal complaint.

[RoyGBiv]

9. The second question ...

This is really another subject, but just to answer the question, my shift is the result of some recent company restructuring. I work 10 (11 w/ lunch) hour days because I am only supposed to work four days per week, or 40 hours. I and one other person got this shift as a perk because of our high evaluation scores. I typically work more days/hours than that, but I get paid overtime, and everything over 40 hours is truly voluntary. I also have a sales quota based on those 40 hours, so if I work more than the base hours, I get more sales and thus get paid more in commissions because regardless of how many hours I actually work, the quota is still based on a 40 hour week.

So, basically, the job itself is pretty cool, but we have a new manager, who, as mentioned, is a right-winger, and he seems bent on screwing with people like me. He knows my politics. (Hard for him not to know since he's seen my vehicle and the bumper stickers.) I don't think it is purely personal, but he also knows I have a large amount of influence over the other employees with whom I work because we all associate outside of work. The paranoid, conspiratorial part of my mind suspects that the late meeting announcement is a result of that knowledge.

[SharonAnn]

13. Also, your election office may be able answer it if it's state election law.

[RoyGBiv]

4. P.S.

I'm trying very, very hard not to think in conspiratorial terms, but the person who called this meeting (today, without any prior notice) is a hardcore Republican who strongly supports Istook, the Republican candidate for governor who is at present down in the polls by some 40 points. The *only* hope he has is that Democratic voters simply don't vote.

I also live a a district where an actual race exists between the prospective state representatives. The Dem is down by a small margin. My vote is very important in that race especially.

[WinstonSmith4740]

6. I'm shocked. Shocked!!

"I'm trying very, very hard not to think in conspiratorial terms, but the person who called this meeting (today, without any prior notice) is a hardcore Republican who strongly supports Istook..."

I was gonna ask you this, but I thought "Nah, they can't be THAT blatent!" :tinfoilhat:

Then I remembered...these are neo-cons we're dealing with here.

[RoyGBiv]

7. Yeah ...

I'm trying, but it ain't working.

It's too unusual. These meetings are usually announced at least a month in advance ... well, not just usually, but always. This is the first one, ever, that has been announced this soon before the event.

It all comes down tomorrow. I have my complaint filed via e-mail, and if I don't receive an acceptable response, there *will* be hell to pay.

And I did forward the e-mails to my home so that I have them on record, one of which said that this meeting is "MANDATORY" (no emphasis added). In all honesty I suspect they will cave rather easily, but I want to word things as appropriately as possible.

[Infinite Hope]

8. Looks like you get a 2 hour lunch.

[Nicole]

10. I wouldn't think in conspiratorial terms

unless notice of the meeting wasn't given until after work on Monday. Notice the section I added bold to states you have until Monday to give notice of your intention to take off to vote.


§26-7-101. Employees to be allowed time to vote - Penalties.
Every corporation, firm, association or individual hereinafter referred to as "employer" who, on election day, has a registered voter employed or in his service, shall grant the employee two (2) hours of time during the period when the election is open in which to vote, and if such employee be in the county or at such distance from the voting place that more than two (2) hours are required in which to attend such elections, then the employee shall be allowed a sufficient time in which to cast a ballot. No such employee shall be entitled to such time to vote unless the employee notifies orally or in writing an employer's representative of the employee’s intention to be absent, on the day preceding the election day.

Upon proof of voting, such employee shall not be subject to any loss of compensation or other penalty for such absence. Such employer shall select the hours which such employees are to be allowed in which to attend such elections, and shall notify each of the employees which hours they are to have in which to vote. This section shall not apply to an employee whose work day begins three (3) hours or more subsequent to the time of opening of the polls, or ends three (3) hours or more prior to the time of closing the polls. The employer may change the work hours to allow such three (3) hours before the beginning of work or after the work hours. Any employer who fails to comply with this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined not less than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) nor more than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00).
Added by Laws 1974, c. 153, § 7-101, operative Jan. 1, 1975. Amended by Laws 2000, c. 358, § 9, eff. July 1, 2000.

[RoyGBiv]

11. Thanks for this ...

It appears I may need it.

In response to my inquiry I was given what amounts to an hour to go vote, maybe, if the meeting ends when it is supposed to end, although I haven't responded to this yet. Within that hour I have to make an approximately 20 mile drive to the polling place, vote, then make a 10 mile drive to work. All driving will be in city traffic, and that's not going to be enough time I don't think. The waste of gas is also irritating, but I digress.

I'll be seeing my supervisor in person tomorrow about this, who is a good guy, btw, but not the one with whom I've been communicating so far. Hopefully I won't need this, but being armed with it is good just in case.

[Nicole]

12. Hope it works out for you

One hour doesn't sound like sufficient time, which the statue allows for.

and if such employee be in the county or at such distance from the voting place that more than two (2) hours are required in which to attend such elections, then the employee shall be allowed a sufficient time in which to cast a ballot.


In case you need more than the cut & paste above, I got it here

http://www.timetovote.net/voter_leave_laws.html#oklahoma

That opens the rtf file

Good luck! :)