Every worker at a company with 25 or more employees would be entitled to at least 2 consecutive hours of paid time off to vote in federal elections. Your employer gets to decide which 2-hour window you take, and they can even require you to use it during early voting — but they can't count your lunch break as part of it. Employers who interfere with this right or retaliate against workers who use it face fines of up to $10,000 per violation. The bill doesn't override any state or local laws that already give workers more generous voting leave.
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