YourVoice.Now Summary
Workers & JobsCivil LibertiesCorporate BenefitsTwo hours of paid leave to vote at businesses with 25 or more workers — bosses who block it face $10,000 fines.
Workers & Jobs
A worker could ask for at least two hours in a row of paid leave while the polls are open. The time can be used to vote in person, drop off a mail ballot, or handle other voting tasks.
An employer could not block the leave or treat a worker worse for using it. The same shield covers workers who file a complaint or testify, and job benefits earned before the leave stay intact.
The Labor Department could look into complaints and charge an employer up to $10,000 each time. It would weigh the size of the business, how bad the act was, and the employer's past record.
The employer decides which two hours the worker takes, and can require early voting instead of election day. Lunch and other breaks cannot be counted as part of the two hours.
Civil Liberties
The paid time off covers any federal election day, while the polls are open. Workers in a state or city with a better voting-leave law would keep it.
Corporate Benefits
Only an employer with 25 or more employees during the year would have to follow the rule. Workers at smaller businesses would get no paid voting leave under this bill.
More about this bill
If you work for a business with 25 or more people, you could take two hours of paid leave to vote. It would cover federal elections only. The two hours could not come out of your lunch or other breaks. Your employer would pick which two hours you take. Your employer could also make you use the time during early voting instead. Your employer could not punish you for taking the time or for speaking up about the rule. Fines could reach $10,000 each time an employer breaks it. State and city laws that give workers more voting time would stay in place. The rule would start with the first federal election after the bill becomes law.
Congressional Summary
Time Off to Vote Act This bill requires an employer, upon the request of an employee, to provide the employee with a minimum of two consecutive hours of paid leave while polls or sites that facilitate voting-related activity are open on the day of a federal election. This allotted time may be used to vote, return a mail-in ballot, or perform other voting-related activities.The employer may determine the two-hour period, excluding any lunch break or other break.Taking such leave shall not result in the employee losing accrued employment benefits.The bill makes it unlawful for an employer to interfere with the right to take such leave or for an employer to discriminate against an employee for taking such leave. Further, the bill makes it unlawful for any employer to retaliate against an employee for (1) opposing any practice made unlawful by this bill; (2) filing a charge, or instituting or causing to be instituted any proceeding, under or related to this bill; or (3) testifying or preparing to testify in an inquiry or proceeding relating to such leave.The bill specifies penalties for employers who violate these provisions.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Action Date
- Date Added
- 2026-04-02
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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