September 2000
Q. Must
I allow time off for employees to vote on election day?
A.For
state-wide elections, if an employee who is a registered voter has 4
hours to vote while the polls are open either before or after work, then
the employer has no obligation to allow time off from work to vote. However,
if the employee does not have 4 hours either before or after work to
vote while the polls are open and the employee notifies the employer
2 to 10 working days before the election, then the employer must allow
the employee to take working time off to vote, not more than 2 hours
without pay, as designated by the employer at the beginning or end of
the workday.
The Election Law also requires employers to post a notice about these
provisions of the law from the 10th working day before the election until
the close of the polls on election day. A poster entitled Voting-Time
Allowed for Employees is available from the Board of Elections.
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