Last month New York Governor Cuomo approved amendments to the state’s election laws that provide employees with up to three hours of paid leave on election days. In order to qualify, employees must be registered to vote and must give their employers two days’ notice of their intent to take election leave. Employers may require that leave be taken at the beginning or end of a work shift. Consistent with the previous version of the law, employers must remember to post a notice of the law at least ten days prior to each election. You can find the amended statute and the requisite notice here. Election paid leave is expected to be enforced in time for New York’s state primary next week on June 25, 2019.

Although election leave is not required under Federal law, state and local government requirements vary greatly, so be sure to stay up to date on your jurisdiction’s requirements. Now is also a great time to review your company’s election leave policy and ensure your management teams apply the policy consistently to all employees.

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