It is important to exercise your right to vote. It's also important to note that NYS Election Law has been amended since the last general election. There are no longer three hours of paid time off to vote.
Legislation enacted in April 2020 (Chapter 55, Laws of 2020) amended the Election Law to allow employees to take up to two hours of paid leave to vote in any election in New York State when the employee does not have sufficient time to vote before or after their work shift.
Sufficient time to vote outside of an employee’s work shift is defined as four consecutive hours either between the opening of the polls and the beginning of an employee’s shift or between the end of an employee’s shift and the closing of the polls.
Polling hours are posted as 6:00am to 9:00pm for the upcoming general election. Therefore, we don't believe we have any work shifts that qualify an employee for additional time to vote. If an employee does have a qualifying work shift, they must notify their supervisor not less than two working days before the day of the election for which they require time off to vote.
Further details can be found at Voting Information . Employees and supervisors should contact Time Records timerecords@albany.edu with any questions.
Denise L. Szelest
Sr. Director of Human Resources Management
