June 25, 2021

Governor Ned Lamont has signed into law a requirement for employers to provide all employees with two hours unpaid time off to vote.  Employers may have missed this development, as it was just one small section within the state’s 800-page budget. The key provisions are:

• Eligibility for leave:

  • any employee in the case of a state election

  • any employee who is an elector in the case of any special election for United States senator, representative in Congress, state senator or state representative

• Leave entitlement: two hours unpaid time from an employee’s regularly scheduled work on the day of any covered election during voting hours

• Conditions for approval: employee must request the time off not less than two working days prior to the election

• Effective dates: now until June 30, 2024