Time off to Vote Posters for Employers in California, New York, and D.C.

Now that the general election is just five weeks away, GovDocs is kicking off the month with a series of Employment Law News blogs on elections and their impact on employers, from labor law posters and voting leave requirements to captive audience laws and politics in the workplace.  

Our first election blog is on the topic of voting posters required in three jurisdictions – New York, California, and Washington, D.C. 

New York’s Time Allowed to Vote Poster

New York’s Time Allowed to Vote poster is required for all employers and must be displayed conspicuously in the workplace. New York requires employers to display the poster at least 10 days in advance of every election. It’s important to note that this poster can only be taken down when the polls close.  

The poster sets out the number of hours of paid leave that may be taken to vote and when these hours may be taken in a work shift, as well as notice and eligibility requirements for taking paid voting leave. 

The Time Allowed to Vote poster in the Big Apple is currently up-to-date and part of the GovDocs Standard Update Program.  

California’s Time Off for Voting Poster

California’s Time Off for Voting Poster is required to be displayed by all employers. Similar to New York, it must be posted in a conspicuous place at least 10 days before every statewide election.  

The Time Off for Voting poster also provides general information on the rights of employees to take paid leave to vote in a state election. Specifically, the voting poster includes eligibility requirements, the total hours of paid leave available for voting, notification to employers of use, and polling place hours in the Golden State.  

The Time Off for Voting posters in English and Spanish are also current and part of both the GovDocs Standard Update and Spanish Update Programs, respectively.  

Washington, D.C.’s Time Off to Vote Poster

Unlike the more general voting leave posters described in New York and California, Washington, D.C.’s Time Off to Vote Poster is specific to each scheduled election. For example, the Time Off to Vote poster was updated for both the primary and general elections this year. The posting is required for all employers and must be posted at least 60 days in advance. Under the recently updated District of Columbia Board of Elections regulations, employers with remote employees can provide notice by other means so long as the employee “signs a statement acknowledging receipt of the notice.” The voting poster provides specific dates and times for voting in the next election as well as employee rights to paid voting leave in line with New York and California.  

The updated Time Off to Vote poster is part of our Standard Update Service and can also be found in the GovDocs Intranet Poster Program for use with remote employees.  

Next Steps for Employers

In preparation for the upcoming general election, employers should confirm that the above jurisdictions have the required voting leave posters displayed at their workplaces.