If you haven't heard, election day is coming up soon. Tuesday, November 6, to be precise. An estimated $5 billion has been spent on candidates during this year's midterm elections. A number of hot topics—health care, tax reform, education, immigration—are expected to send out voters from both the left and the right in droves. Talking politics at work is generally frowned upon, but workers exercising their right to vote should be encouraged. Efforts to make election day into a federal holiday have been slow to gain steam, and until they do, employers looking to minimize disruption during the workday should make sure they know what the leave laws for voting in their state actually are. More importantly, they should make sure employees are aware of the rules and plan accordingly. Related: Why the future of the ACA could be decided at the midterm elections Only a handful of states have no requirement for giving employees time off to work to vote. In the majority of states, employees have the right to leave work to vote, but they can't just walk out the door when the patriotic spirit strikes them. Many states' voting-leave laws require an employee to give advance notice, as well as give the employer the right to determine which hours an employee will be allowed to leave. Compiled from information found on electionary.info, aflcio.org and nolo.com, we've put together a slideshow with an overview of voting-leave laws for each of the 50 states. How well do you know your state's rights?

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Emily Payne

Emily Payne is director, content analytics for ALM's Business & Finance Markets and former managing editor for BenefitsPRO. A Wisconsin native, she has spent the past decade writing and editing for various athletic and fitness publications. She holds an English degree and Business certificate from the University of Wisconsin.