SPOTLIGHT: Time off to vote
A quick look at what state laws require of employers on Election Day, and how many go further.
No federal rule covers voting leave, so it comes down to state law. Here is how much those laws differ.
No federal law requires private employers to provide voting leave, but 28 states and D.C. do, with different rules on time allowed, pay, timing and notice.
Twenty-two of those states and D.C. require the time off to be paid, according to the HR software company Paylocity.
Colorado now requires up to two hours of paid leave on any day voting centers are open, not just Election Day. The law took effect June 1, 2026.
Alabama and Georgia require leave but not pay, up to one hour in Alabama and up to two hours in Georgia.
Tennessee requires up to three hours of leave without a pay cut, with exceptions based on shift times. Employees must ask before noon the day before the election.
In Texas, knowingly denying time off to vote, or cutting pay or benefits as punishment for it, is a misdemeanor.
Time off should not depend on supporting a candidate or explaining how an employee plans to vote.
Last-minute requests should go to HR for a quick review instead of an on-the-spot no, according to the law firm Bradley.
Employers that run around the clock, such as hospitals, hotels and factories, can use shift swaps, schedule changes or extra staff to make room for voting.
Read more via SHRM, Ogletree Deakins, National Law Review, Harvard Business School BiGS
Many employers offer voting time even where no law requires it. That share is shrinking, though some big names still lean in.
Forty-six percent of employers offer paid time off to vote, down from 51% in 2025, according to SHRM’s 2026 Employee Benefits Survey.
Thirty-nine percent offer unpaid time off beyond what the law requires, down from 45% a year earlier.
Patagonia gives full- and part-time workers a paid day off for federal elections. It planned to close on national Vote Early Day, Oct. 27, instead of Election Day.
Salesforce has treated federal election days as paid holidays since 2020, and Levi Strauss plans to give paid time off to vote in this year’s midterms.
Working at a company in the Time to Vote program raises an employee’s odds of voting by 2.1 percentage points, based on a Harvard study of 30 million workers.
A 2024 Morning Consult poll found 82% of U.S. adults think companies should give workers time off to vote.
Political activity can draw fire from activists, consumers or the government, but experts say nonpartisan efforts to help people vote are the safer path.
Democratic institutions are a public good that we all rely on, including businesses. Businesses should care about democratic institutions and try to strengthen them.”
Read more via SHRM, Harvard Business School BiGS
