FINAL BILL REPORT

SB 5693

                                  C 296 L 87

BYSenators Vognild, Newhouse, Halsan, Conner, Wojahn, Bottiger and Johnson

Insuring employees adequate time to vote.

Senate Committee on Governmental Operations

House Committe on Constitution, Elections & Ethics

SYNOPSIS AS ENACTED

BACKGROUND:

Washington State has no statutory provision insuring that employees of the state or private enterprise have time set aside from the work schedule to vote.  Thirty states have enacted laws to insure that working voters have time to vote.  Nineteen states provide a paid holiday for state employees on certain election days.

SUMMARY:

Every employer is required to arrange working hours on any primary, general or special election day so that all employees have a reasonable time up to two hours available for voting during the hours the polls are open.  If an employee's work schedule does not give the employee two free hours for voting, the employer is required to permit the employee to take a reasonable time up to two hours from his or her work schedule to vote.  An employer must add this time to the time for which an employee is paid.

An employee is permitted time for voting only if the employee is unable to obtain an absentee ballot during the period of time between when the employee learns of the election day work schedule and the day of the election.

VOTES ON FINAL PASSAGE:

      Senate    39    10

      House 56  39 (House amended)

      Senate    30    18 (Senate concurred)

EFFECTIVE:July 26, 1987