Sponsors (55)
The bill broadens paid voting access for many employees and establishes federal enforcement, at the cost of added compliance, staffing and labor expenses for employers and increased legal complexity across jurisdictions.
Employees at covered workplaces (workers at firms with 25+ employees, including hourly and shift workers, students, and many middle‑class families) get at least 2 consecutive paid hours on Federal election days to vote or perform voting‑related tasks, increasing practical access to voting.
The Secretary of Labor is given enforcement authority and civil penalties (up to $10,000) to deter employer noncompliance, making the right to paid voting leave more likely to be upheld in practice.
Employers with 25+ employees face added compliance costs, potential civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation, and may need to alter staffing or pay for additional hours to cover voting leave, which could raise administrative and labor costs for businesses.
A new federal standard layered on top of a patchwork of existing state voting‑leave laws may create overlapping requirements and legal complexity for multi‑state employers and state/local governments to navigate.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires employers with 25+ employees engaged in commerce to provide at least two consecutive hours of paid leave for employees to vote on Federal election days upon request.
Official title: To provide employees with a minimum of 2 consecutive hours of paid leave in order to vote in Federal elections.
Introduced August 5, 2025 by Nikema Williams · Last progress August 5, 2025
Requires private-sector employers with 25 or more employees engaged in commerce to give any requesting employee at least two consecutive hours of paid leave during polling hours on any Federal election day so the employee can vote or complete other voting-related activities. Employers may set the two-hour window (including during State-authorized early voting), but may not count paid breaks or lunch toward the two hours; leave cannot reduce previously accrued benefits and the law starts at the first Federal election after enactment.