Is Election Day a Federal Holiday? Time Off to Vote, State by State

No. Election Day is not a federal holiday. The 11 federal holidays are set by law in 5 U.S.C. 6103, and Election Day is not one of them, so federal offices, the Postal Service, banks, the stock market and most private employers stay open. Eleven states make it a state holiday, which mostly closes state offices. Whether you get time off work to vote depends on your state: 28 states require it in some form, often only if your shift leaves you too little time to vote, and 21 of them bar the employer from docking your pay for it.

Checked against OPM’s federal holiday list, each state’s statute or official 2026 holiday schedule, and the NYSE and Federal Reserve holiday calendars, 3 November 2026.

This guide covers which states close for Election Day, the time-off rules in all 50 states and D.C., and what to do if your employer says no. Polls closing soon? See what time polls close in every state.

Which states make Election Day a state holiday?

These 11 states list the November general Election Day as a legal or state holiday. A state holiday closes state government offices. It does not require private businesses to close or give you the day off.

State	What the law or schedule says	Source
Delaware	Legal holiday on the biennial general election day	Del. Code tit. 1, § 501
Hawaii	State holiday; on the 2026 state holiday list for 3 November	Haw. Rev. Stat. § 8-1
Illinois	State holiday in even-numbered (general election) years	Illinois 2026 state holiday schedule
Indiana	State holiday, for both the primary and the general election	Indiana 2026 state holiday schedule
Maryland	Legal holiday on each statewide general election day	Md. Code, Gen. Prov. § 1-111
Montana	Legal holiday on the state general election day	Mont. Code § 1-1-216
New Jersey	Public holiday on any general election day	N.J. Stat. § 36:1-1
New York	Legal holiday on the state calendar; some state bargaining units get a floating day instead	NYS Civil Service 2026 holiday calendar
Rhode Island	Holiday in years with a general election of state officers	R.I. Gen. Laws § 25-1-1
Virginia	Legal holiday every year	Va. Code § 2.2-3300
West Virginia	Holiday on any day a general, primary or special election is held	W. Va. Code § 2-2-1

Some published lists also include Kentucky and Louisiana. We could not confirm either from an official 2026 statewide holiday schedule, so check with the state if you work for it. Louisiana’s State Civil Service office, for one, is closed on 3 November 2026 for Election Day.

Time off to vote, state by state

“Yes” means the law gives you a right to time off. “Not stated” under Paid means the law gives you the time but does not say your employer has to pay for it. Many states only owe you time if your shift leaves too few hours to vote before or after work, and many let the employer choose when you go.

State	Time off?	Paid?	How much and the conditions	Law
Alabama	Yes	Not stated	Up to 1 hour, on reasonable notice. Not owed if your shift starts 2+ hours after polls open or ends 1+ hour before they close. Employer picks the hour.	Ala. Code § 17-1-5
Alaska	Yes	Yes	Enough time to vote, unless you already have 2 hours in a row off work while polls are open.	Alaska Stat. § 15.56.100
Arizona	Yes	Yes	Enough time to give you 3 hours in a row to vote, counting your off-duty time. Ask before Election Day. Employer picks the hours.	Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 16-402
Arkansas	Yes	Not stated	Employers must schedule work hours on election days so every employee has a chance to vote.	Ark. Code § 7-1-102
California	Yes	Up to 2 hours	Only if you can’t vote outside work, taken at the start or end of your shift. Give 2 working days’ notice. Statewide elections. Employers must post a notice 10 days before.	Cal. Elec. Code §§ 14000, 14001
Colorado	Yes	Up to 2 hours	2 hours, unless you have 3 off-duty hours while polls are open. Apply before Election Day. Start or end of shift if you ask.	Colo. Rev. Stat. § 1-7-102
Connecticut	No	—	No time-off law.	—
Delaware	No	—	No time-off law. Employees serving as election officers are protected.	15 Del. C. § 4709
District of Columbia	No	—	No time-off law in the D.C. election code.	—
Florida	No	—	No time-off law. Employers can’t fire or threaten you for voting or not voting.	Fla. Stat. § 104.081
Georgia	Yes	Not stated	Up to 2 hours on Election Day or an early-voting day, on reasonable notice. Employer picks the hours.	O.C.G.A. § 21-2-404
Hawaii	Yes	Yes	2 hours in a row, unless you already have them off (meal breaks don’t count). Pay can be docked if you don’t vote. A voter’s receipt is proof.	Haw. Rev. Stat. § 11-95
Idaho	No	—	No time-off law.	—
Illinois	Yes	Yes	2 hours for general and special elections. Apply before Election Day. Employer picks the hours. Primaries need employer consent.	10 ILCS 5/17-15, 5/7-42
Indiana	No law found	—	We could not confirm a time-off-to-vote law in the state code. Check with the state labor department.	Not confirmed
Iowa	Yes	Yes	Enough time to give you 2 hours in a row to vote. Apply in writing before Election Day. Employer picks the time.	Iowa Code § 49.109
Kansas	Yes	Yes	Up to 2 hours in a row, minus any off-duty poll time you already have. Not during your lunch break. Employer picks the time.	Kan. Stat. § 25-418
Kentucky	Yes	Not stated	At least 4 hours, on Election Day or the day you vote absentee in person at the clerk’s office. Apply before the day. Taking it and not voting can be disciplined.	Ky. Rev. Stat. § 118.035
Louisiana	No law found	—	We could not confirm a time-off-to-vote law in the state code. Check with the state labor department.	Not confirmed
Maine	No law found	—	We could not confirm a time-off-to-vote law in the state code. Check with the state labor department.	Not confirmed
Maryland	Yes	Yes	Up to 2 hours, unless you have 2 off-duty hours in a row while polls are open. You must show proof you voted or tried to, on a State Board of Elections form.	Md. Code, Elec. Law § 10-315
Massachusetts	Some jobs	Not stated	Factory, mechanical and retail (mercantile) workers can’t be made to work in the first 2 hours polls are open, if they ask for leave.	Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 149, § 178
Michigan	No law found	—	We could not confirm a time-off-to-vote law in the state code. Check with the state labor department.	Not confirmed
Minnesota	Yes	Yes	The time needed to go vote and come back, on Election Day or during in-person early voting.	Minn. Stat. § 204C.04
Mississippi	No law found	—	We could not confirm a time-off-to-vote law in the state code. Check with the state labor department.	Not confirmed
Missouri	Yes	Yes, if you vote	3 hours, unless you have 3 off-duty hours in a row while polls are open. Ask before Election Day. Employer picks the hours.	Mo. Rev. Stat. § 115.639
Montana	No law found	—	We could not confirm a time-off-to-vote law in the state code. Check with the state labor department.	Not confirmed
Nebraska	Yes	Yes	Enough time to give you 2 hours in a row to vote. Ask before or on Election Day. Employer picks the hours.	Neb. Rev. Stat. § 32-922
Nevada	Yes	Yes	If you can’t vote before or after work: 1 hour (polls 2 miles away or less), 2 hours (2 to 10 miles), 3 hours (over 10 miles). Ask before Election Day.	Nev. Rev. Stat. § 293.463
New Hampshire	No	—	No time-off law found in the election or labor statutes.	—
New Jersey	No	—	No time-off law. Employers can’t pressure how you vote.	N.J. Stat. § 19:34-27
New Mexico	Yes	Not stated	2 hours, unless your workday starts 2+ hours after polls open or ends 3+ hours before they close. Employer picks. Covers tribal and pueblo elections.	N.M. Stat. § 1-12-42
New York	Yes	Up to 2 hours	Enough time to vote, unless you have 4 off-duty hours in a row while polls are open. Start or end of shift. Notify 2 to 10 working days before.	N.Y. Elec. Law § 3-110
North Carolina	No	—	No time-off law. Employers can’t fire or threaten you over your vote.	N.C. Gen. Stat. § 163-274
North Dakota	No	—	The law encourages employers to give time off to vote but does not require it.	N.D. Cent. Code § 16.1-01-02.1
Ohio	Limited	Not stated	No set amount of leave, but employers can’t fire or threaten you for taking a reasonable amount of time to vote.	Ohio Rev. Code § 3599.06
Oklahoma	Yes	Yes, with proof of voting	2 hours (more if your polling place is far), on Election Day or an in-person early-voting day. Notify at least 3 days before. Not owed if your shift starts or ends 3+ hours from poll times.	Okla. Stat. tit. 26, § 7-101
Oregon	No	—	No time-off law. Oregon votes by mail.	—
Pennsylvania	No	—	No time-off law in the Election Code.	—
Rhode Island	No	—	No time-off law.	—
South Carolina	No	—	No time-off law. Employers can’t fire you for political opinions or exercising political rights.	S.C. Code § 16-17-560
South Dakota	Yes	Yes	2 hours in a row, unless you already have them off while polls are open. Employer picks the hours.	S.D. Codified Laws § 12-3-5
Tennessee	Yes	Yes	Up to 3 hours. Ask before noon the day before the election. Not owed if your shift starts 3+ hours after polls open or ends 3+ hours before they close.	Tenn. Code § 2-1-106
Texas	Yes	No pay cut allowed	Employers can’t refuse time off to vote, on Election Day or during early voting, unless polls are open 2 hours in a row outside your working hours.	Tex. Elec. Code § 276.004
Utah	Yes	Yes	Up to 2 hours, unless you have 3+ off-duty hours while polls are open. Apply before Election Day. Start or end of shift if you ask.	Utah Code § 20A-3a-105
Vermont	No law found	—	We could not confirm a time-off-to-vote law in the state code. Check with the state labor department.	Not confirmed
Virginia	No	—	No time-off law. Any registered voter can vote early or absentee.	—
Washington	No	—	The old time-off law was repealed in 2013. Washington votes by mail.	—
West Virginia	Yes	Yes	Up to 3 hours. Written request at least 3 days before. Pay can be docked if you had 3+ free hours while polls were open and didn’t vote.	W. Va. Code § 3-1-42
Wisconsin	Yes	No (unpaid allowed)	Up to 3 hours in a row. Tell your employer before Election Day. Employer picks the time.	Wis. Stat. § 6.76
Wyoming	Yes	Yes, if you vote	1 hour (not a meal hour), unless you have 3 off-duty hours in a row while polls are open. Employer picks the hour.	Wyo. Stat. § 22-2-111

Sources: each state’s statute, read from the official code (or an archived copy where the state site was unreachable), 3 November 2026. “No law found” rows are states where a compilation by the nonprofit Workplace Fairness lists no law and we could not confirm it in the state code ourselves.

Do I get paid for the time off to vote?

Only where the law says so. 21 states bar the employer from cutting your pay for the time. California and New York cap paid time at 2 hours. Missouri, Oklahoma and Wyoming pay only if you actually vote, and Hawaii, Maryland and Oklahoma tie pay or leave to proof of voting. Wisconsin lets the employer deduct the time.

What to do if your employer won’t let you vote

1. Ask in writing, on time. Many states require notice before Election Day (Tennessee by noon the day before, Oklahoma and West Virginia 3 days before, New York 2 to 10 working days before). Keep a copy of the request.
2. Quote the law. Show your manager the statute in the table above. Most refusals end there.
3. Vote before or after your shift. In most states anyone in line when polls close can still vote, so stay in line. Check poll closing times by state.
4. Report it. Contact your state labor department or attorney general. The nonpartisan Election Protection hotline is 1-866-687-8683 (866-OUR-VOTE).
5. Plan for next time. Most states offer early in-person voting or a mail ballot, which avoids the problem entirely.

Are schools, banks, the stock market and the post office open on Election Day?

Yes for everything federal or national. Only state offices in the holiday states and some school districts close.

Place	Open on Election Day?	Why
Federal offices	Open	Election Day is not one of the 11 federal holidays.
Post offices and mail delivery	Open	The Postal Service closes only on federal holidays.
Banks	Open	Election Day is not on the Federal Reserve’s holiday schedule.
Stock market (NYSE)	Open	Election Day is not on the NYSE holiday calendar.
State offices	Closed in some states	See the state holiday list above.
Public schools	Varies	Many districts close or hold a staff day because schools double as polling places. Check your district calendar.

Which holidays are federal holidays?

There are 11. Federal employees get these days off, and the Postal Service and most banks close on them. Here are the 2026 dates from OPM:

Federal holiday	2026 date
New Year’s Day	Thursday, 1 January
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.	Monday, 19 January
Washington’s Birthday	Monday, 16 February
Memorial Day	Monday, 25 May
Juneteenth National Independence Day	Friday, 19 June
Independence Day	Friday, 3 July (observed; 4 July is a Saturday)
Labor Day	Monday, 7 September
Columbus Day	Monday, 12 October
Veterans Day	Wednesday, 11 November
Thanksgiving Day	Thursday, 26 November
Christmas Day	Friday, 25 December

In 2025, Inauguration Day was also a holiday for federal workers in the Washington, D.C., area, as it is every fourth year.

Why isn’t Election Day a federal holiday?

Federal holidays exist only when Congress writes them into 5 U.S.C. 6103, and Congress has never added Election Day. Federal elections have been held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November since the 1800s, and that day has stayed a regular workday nationally.

When will the results be announced?

Counting starts when polls close and runs into the night and, in close races, for days. See when election results will be announced for each state’s timing.