A person’s political affiliation shouldn’t be a ground for termination. Yet, there are still cases wherein employers will coerce employees to vote for a candidate they believe is good for their business. The act of impairing an employee’s career over political disagreements is considered wrong and inappropriate.

Two hours from Columbia, in Dayton, a defense contractor and its president is being named in a wrongful termination lawsuit. A woman was fired for voting for President Barack Obama in the recently concluded presidential elections. The President favors policies that discourage or lowers government spending on defense.

The lawsuit claims that the company’s president threatened to terminate employees if Obama gets re-elected and that supporters would be fired first. It also claims that the woman is paid $12 an hour with no overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a week and is not exempt from overtime pay requirements under the Fair Labor Standards.

The plaintiff’s voting preference came up in a conversation after the election. She was fired not soon after. Company spokesperson is claiming that her termination was in the company’s best interest citing uncertainties in defense spending. The current administration is looking to make huge cuts in the federal budget as part of its efforts to save the economy from deficits.

Experts argue that the case is pitting at-will termination employment against the Ohio Revised Code 3599 which protects employees from employer intimidation and retaliation, especially those that involve elections. If won, the case may incite lawmakers to consider new employment law legislation. The employee still has to prove that she was not fired due to economic reasons.