(a) All laws to the contrary notwithstanding, any precinct election official appointed pursuant to Section 17-8-1 shall be excused from his or her employment without penalty of loss of time for election day only in order to perform the duties of the position to which he or she has been appointed. Proper documentation of the appointment and the dates of the required service shall be furnished to the employer by the appointee at least seven days before the expected absence from his or her employment.
(b) This section shall not apply to any employee working for an employer with 25 or fewer employees or require an employer to compensate an employee while performing the duties as prescribed in subsection (a).