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Know your rights

New York State laws about voting rights can be found on the New York State Senate website, Article 1, Title 3. Highlights include:

1. If a registered voter does not have sufficient time outside of his working hours, within which to vote at any election, he may, without loss of pay for up to two hours, take off so much working time as will, when added to his voting time outside his working hours, enable him to vote.
  2. If an employee has four consecutive hours either between the opening of the polls and the beginning of his working shift, or between the end of his working shift and the closing of the polls, he shall be deemed to have sufficient time outside his working hours within which to vote. If he has less than four consecutive hours he may take off so much working time as will when added to his voting time outside his working hours enable him to vote, but not more than two hours of which shall be without loss of pay, provided that he shall be allowed time off for voting only at the beginning or end of his working shift, as the employer may designate, unless otherwise mutually agreed.

 3. If the employee requires working time off to vote he shall notify his employer not more than ten nor less than two working days before the day of the election that he requires time off to vote in accordance with the provisions of this section.
  4. Not less than ten working days before every election, every employer shall post conspicuously in the place of work where it can be seen as employees come or go to their place of work, a notice setting forth the provisions of this section. Such notice shall be kept posted until the close of the polls on election day.

  • Section 3-110: If your workday is long enough that you have less than four hours to make it to your polling place, you have the right to take time off from work.

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