What's happening
This bill amends the election law to clarify and expand employees' rights to take paid time off work to vote if they lack sufficient time outside working hours.
Why it matters
Expands paid time off to vote. The amendment increases the maximum amount of paid time employees can take to vote from two hours to three hours, ensuring more workers can vote without financial penalty.
Clarifies eligibility for paid voting leave. The bill now specifies that if a registered voter does not have "sufficient time outside of working hours" to vote, they are entitled to paid time off, removing ambiguity from the previous law.
Defines what counts as ‘sufficient time’. Employees are considered to have sufficient time if they have four consecutive hours off either before or after their shift during polling hours. If they have less than four hours, they may claim paid time off as needed to reach a total of four hours.
Potentially increases access for shift and hourly workers. By clarifying and expanding these rights, the amendment especially benefits those with inflexible or long work schedules, helping to reduce barriers to voting for workers in jobs with less control over their hours.
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Who cares
Employees who are registered voters
The bill would condition voting leave on insufficient time outside work and deem four consecutive hours before or after a shift sufficient to vote.
Employers and payroll managers
The bill would retain up to three paid hours in one provision while adding a two-hour paid limit in another, creating conflicting limits for administering voting leave.
Shift workers
Employees with fewer than four consecutive hours available before or after work could take voting leave at the beginning or end of their shift, as the employer designates, unless both sides agree otherwise.
Headline styles
Guarantee Time Off To Vote
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to elections
- Referred to rules
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Guarantee Time Off to Vote
In Assembly Committee · Election Law · Sponsor Billy Jones
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6278
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
June 3, 2019
Introduced by Sen. BRESLIN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the election law, in relation to required voting time for an employee without sufficient time to vote outside of working hours
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 3-110 of the election law, as amended by section 1 of part YY of chapter 55 of the laws of 2019, are amended to read as follows:
1. [A] If a registered voter does not have sufficient time outside of his or her working hours, within which to vote at any election, he or she may, without loss of pay for up to three hours, take off so much working time as will, when added to his or her voting time outside his or her working hours, enable him or her to vote at any election.
2. [The employee] If an employee has four consecutive hours either between the opening of the polls and the beginning of his or her working shift, or between the end of his or her working shift and the closing of the polls, he or she shall be deemed to have sufficient time outside his or her working hours within which to vote. If he or she has less than four consecutive hours he or she may take off so much working time as will when added to his or her voting time outside his or her working hours enable him or her to vote, but not more than two hours of which shall be without loss of pay, provided that he or she shall be allowed time off for voting only at the beginning or end of his or her working shift, as the employer may designate, unless otherwise mutually agreed.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11455-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the election law, in relation to required voting time for an employee without sufficient time to vote outside of working hours
Purpose
To have sufficient time to vote outside of working hours.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 amend subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 3-110 of the election law to allow a voter who does not have sufficient time outside of his or her working hours, within which to vote at any election, he or she may, without loss of pay for up to three hours. If an employee has four consecutive hours either between opening of the polls and the beginning of his or her working shift, he or she shall be deemed to have suffi- cient time outside his or her working hours within which to vote.
Section 2 provides the effective date.
Justification
In 2019, the New York State Legislature passed a series of Election Laws, including giving voters 10 days of early access, prior to Election Day, to cast their votes. This legislation reinstates language that was unnecessarily removed by allowing those who do not have ample time to vote outside of working hours to do so. If an employee does have ample time to vote between the opening of the polls and the beginning of his or her working shift, or between the end of his or her working shift and the closing of the polls, he or she shall be deemed to have sufficient time outside his or her working hours to vote.
Legislative history
This is a new bill.
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.