(a) A person commits an offense if, with respect to another person over whom the person has authority in the scope of employment, the person knowingly:
(1) refuses to permit the other person to be absent from work on election day or while early voting is in progress for the purpose of attending the polls to vote; or
(2) subjects or threatens to subject the other person to a penalty for attending the polls on election day or while early voting is in progress to vote.
(b) It is an exception to the application of this section that the person’s conduct occurs in connection with an election in which the polls are open on election day or while early voting is in progress for voting for two consecutive hours outside of the voter’s working hours.

Attorney's Note

Under the Texas Codes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class C misdemeanorup to $500
For details, see

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Terms Used In Texas Election Code 276.004

  • Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005

(c) In this section, “penalty” means a loss or reduction of wages or another benefit of employment.
(d) An offense under this section is a Class C misdemeanor.