As a small business owner, you may offer types of paid or unpaid time off to employees. But when election day rolls around, do you give employees time off to vote? Read on to learn about offering time off to vote, voting leave laws by state, and whether you can refuse voting leave.

Giving employees time off to vote

You may feel responsible for encouraging employees to vote. However, you might not be able to afford to give employees time off for voting leave.

Federal law does not require employers to give employees time off work to vote. However, the majority of states have time off for voting laws. Some states may also require employers to offer employee compensation for voting time, while others do not.

State laws on time off to vote

Time off for voting and employee voting rights vary from state to state. As an employer, you need to understand voting time off laws and policies your state has in place.

Thirty states require time off to vote. Some of these states also require that you provide paid time off to vote.

Twenty states plus Washington D.C. do not have any time off to vote laws. Some of the states that do not require time off to vote include Idaho, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, and Virginia.

In some cases, states do not offer time off for voting for legitimate reasons. For example, Oregon is a vote-by-mail state that gives citizens the option of voting in-person. Since many individuals in Oregon cast their vote via mail, the state does not have laws regarding voting time off.

Other states, like North Dakota, may not have an official time off to vote law. But, they do recommend employers give employees time to vote.

Some states require employers to display a time off to vote poster. In California, employers must visibly post voting leave rules 10 days before the election. Check with your state to find out whether or not you must display or provide (e.g., via email) a time off to vote poster for your employees.

A number of states also require employees to notify employers in advance about voting and provide proof that they voted. Depending on your state’s time off to vote law, you may require employees to give one of the following types of proof that they voted:

• Voter’s receipt
• Sticker
• Other documentation or paperwork

If your state does not require time off to vote, consider offering it to employees. Regardless of whether or not you opt for paid time to vote, giving employees time off to vote shows you care. And, it sets an example to employees to fulfill their civic responsibility to vote.

Time off to vote laws by state

Depending on the state, hours usually vary anywhere from one to three hours of time off. For example, Colorado state law requires employees to receive up to two hours off to vote.

Other states, like Alaska, may not specify a time frame. States without a given time period typically list the amount of time as a “reasonable amount of time” to vote.

Review the chart of states and their requirements for time off to vote below:

State	Time Off to Vote?	Time Allowed to Vote	Paid/Unpaid	Advance Notice Required?	Proof of Voting Required?
Alabama	Yes	Up to 1 hour	Unpaid	Yes: “Reasonable notice”	No
Alaska	Yes	Not specified	Paid	No	No
Arizona	Yes	Up to 3 hours	Paid	At least one day before the election	No
Arkansas	Yes	Employers must schedule employees’ work schedules on election days to give employees time to vote	Unpaid	No	No
California	Yes	Up to 2 hours	Paid	Yes: Two working days before the election	No
Colorado	Yes	Up to 2 hours	Paid	Yes: Prior to election day	No
Connecticut	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Delaware	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
District of Columbia	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Florida	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Georgia	Yes	Up to 2 hours	Unpaid	Yes: “Reasonable notice”	No
Hawaii	Yes	2 consecutive hours (excluding meal or rest breaks)	Paid	No	Yes: Employees must show voter’s receipt.
Idaho	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Illinois	Yes	2 hours	Paid	Yes: One day in advance for general or state election	No
Indiana	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Iowa	Yes	3 consecutive hours	Paid	Yes: In writing prior to the election	No
Kansas	Yes	Up to 2 hours	Paid	No	No
Kentucky	Yes	Within a “reasonable time,” but not less than 4 hours. Employers can decide when hours are taken.	Unpaid	Yes: One day	No
Louisiana	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Maine	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Maryland	Yes	2 hours	Paid	Yes: No specific time frame	Yes: Also includes attempting to vote. Must use the state board of elections form.
Massachusetts	Yes	First 2 hours that polls are open	Unpaid	Employee must apply for leave of absence (no time specified)	No
Michigan	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Minnesota	Yes	As long as it reasonably takes to vote	Paid	No	No
Mississippi	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Missouri	Yes	3 hours. Employers may decide when hours are taken	Paid	Yes: Prior to the day of election	Employees must actually vote to be paid
Montana	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Nebraska	Yes	2 consecutive hours	Paid	Yes: Prior to or on election day	No
Nevada	Yes	If it is not practical to vote before or after work, employees may take voting time off based on distance from the polling place. Employees who work two miles or less from polling location may take 1 hour; two to 10 miles receives 2 hours; more than 10 miles has 3 hours. Employers decide when hours are taken	Paid	Yes: Prior to election day	No
New Hampshire	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
New Jersey	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
New Mexico	Yes	2 hours	Paid	No	No
New York	Yes	Employees may take off as much working time as needed to vote at any election	Paid (up to three hours)	Yes: No more than 10 or less than two working days before the election	No
North Carolina	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
North Dakota	Yes	Employers are encouraged to give employees time off to vote when regular work schedule conflicts with the times polls are open	Unpaid	No	No
Ohio	Yes	As long as it reasonably takes to vote	Paid for salaried employees and unpaid for hourly, commissioned, or piecework employees	No	No
Oklahoma	Yes	2 hours	Paid	Yes: Orally or in writing three days before the election	Yes
Oregon	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Pennsylvania	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Rhode Island	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
South Carolina	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
South Dakota	Yes	2 consecutive hours	Paid	No	No
Tennessee	Yes	Reasonable time up to 3 hours when the polls are open	Paid	Yes: Before noon on the day before election day	No
Texas	Yes	No time limit. Employers may not refuse to allow employees to take time off	Paid	No	No
Utah	Yes	2 hours at beginning or end of shift	Paid	Yes: Before election day	No
Vermont	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Virginia	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Washington	No	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
West Virginia	Yes	Up to 3 hours	Paid	Yes: Written request at least three days before election	Employees must actually vote to be paid
Wisconsin	Yes	Up to 3 consecutive hours	Unpaid	Yes: Before election day	No
Wyoming	Yes	1 hour, other than a meal break	Paid	No	Employees must actually vote to be paid

*Some states may have certain exceptions or additional requirements. Check with your state for more information.

Refusing voting leave

Prohibiting time off to vote can be detrimental to a business. Some states may issue penalties for refusing voting leave to employees, such as fines.

Even if your state does not have penalties, refusing time off for voting can tarnish your business’s reputation. Your employees and community might not agree with your decision. And, it may impact the way others view you and your business.

Looking for a simple way to track employees’ time off for voting? Patriot’s online time and attendance software lets employees clock-in and clock-out online. And, the software add-on integrates with our payroll software. Try both for free today!

This article has been updated from its original publication date of October 17, 2016.

This is not intended as legal advice; for more information, please click here.