NYS Mandates Paid Time Off for Election Day

Law Alert: New law effective April 12, 2019, all New York State employers must provide their employees who are registered to vote up to 3 hours of paid leave to vote as long as he or she requests the time off at least 2 working days before an election. As an employer, you may designate that any requested time be taken at the beginning or end of the employee’s shift. You must also post a notice at least 10 business days in advance of an election to inform employees of the amended provisions of New York Election Law § 3-110.  The N.Y.S. Board of Elections has provided a revised notice that can be found here. The notice must remain posted until the close of the polls on Election Day. Section 3-110 does not set forth any exemptions or exceptions. This law applies to every election, local, state and federal.