Voters in some states have reported waiting as long as five hours to cast early voting ballots for the 2012 presidential election. With election day(November 6) fast approaching, some workers are no doubt wondering how they will find time to vote if they’re expected to put in a regular full day of work at their jobs. There’s even a movement afoot to make voting a national holiday or to move election day to a already designated holiday, such as the second Tuesday in November, Veterans Day.

Writes The Atlantic: The idea that voters shouldn't have to work on Election Day isn't a new one -- every four years, there are new calls, though none of them has been successful. We cast ballots on a Tuesday for outdated historical reasons. When the date of elections was fixed on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in 1872, Sunday was out of the question, as poll-related revelry would have fatally conflicted with the sabbath, and most people worked the other six days anyway. But since the establishment of the five-day work week, the placement no longer makes as much sense.

What many workers and some employers don’t realize is that state laws typically require employers to provide job-protected time off to vote, says Audrey Mross, who heads the labor and employment practice at Munck Wilson Mandala in Dallas.

"The Texas version of the law says employees get time off unless their schedule provides two consecutive non-working hours during the time the polls are open," Mross says. Some states, such as California, require workplace posters that inform employees of their rights as voters. Others prohibit discrimination against those who engage in certain political activities, such as running for office or working at a polling place.