Voting Time in NC and SC
Reading Time: 3 minutes - Election Day is Tuesday, November 4, and employers should be prepared for employee requests for time off to vote.
- No federal, North Carolina or South Carolina regulation requires time off to vote, but check other state and local laws that might apply.
- Most employees can vote before or after work, though unusual schedules like 12-hour shifts may make voting impossible without missing work time.
- Many employers provide excused unpaid time requested in advance, and some offer paid time or let employees arrive late or leave early.
- Plan and communicate expectations with supervisors ahead of time, and weigh the employee relations impact of allowing no flexibility.
Election Day is coming up on Tuesday, November 4, and employers should be prepared for requests from employees for time off to vote. There are no regulations that require employers to give time off to vote under federal, NC, or SC laws. Make sure to check other state and local laws that might apply.
In most workplaces, employees have time before or after work to vote, but there might be exceptions for employees working an unusual shift; for example, an employee on a 12-hour shift may not be able to vote in person without missing scheduled work time.
Employers need to plan and communicate with their supervisors and team members about expectations for taking time off to vote. Many employers encourage employees to vote outside of working hours, but will provide excused and unpaid time if requested in advance. Other employers allow paid time or allow employees to arrive late or leave early. Consider the employee relations impact if you do not allow some flexibility for voting time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does North Carolina law require employers to give employees time off to vote?
No. North Carolina has no statute requiring private employers to give employees time off to vote. N.C.G.S. 163-166.01 sets polling hours and 103-1 designates election day, and neither creates a leave entitlement. N.C.G.S. 163-41.2 separately protects employees who serve as precinct officials. Many employers still choose to allow flexibility, and other state or local laws may apply to employees working outside North Carolina.
Does South Carolina law require paid time off for voting?
No. South Carolina has no statute requiring private employers to provide time off to vote. South Carolina instead allows a voter whose employment requires them to be at work while the polls are open to vote by absentee ballot. Best practice is to tell employees about absentee options early and make sure nobody is discouraged from voting.
Can a North Carolina employer dock pay for time taken to vote?
There is no North Carolina statute creating paid voting leave, so there is no state law pay protection to apply. Because no leave entitlement exists, treatment of any time away to vote is set by the employer’s own policy, subject to the usual FLSA rules on paying exempt employees for a partial day absence.
Catapult is an employers association that has helped organizations solve workplace challenges since 1958. More than 2,300 member employers rely on the Catapult team for HR advice, employment law guidance, compensation research, and leadership training. Articles published under the Catapult HR Team byline are written and fact checked by that team.
