Skip to content

Monday, Nov. 7, 2022

Are employers required to offer time off to vote on Election Day in Wisconsin?


yes

Wis. Stat. § 6.76 requires all employers in Wisconsin to give employees up to three hours to vote on Election Day. 

According to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, employees must tell their employer before Election Day that they will be absent to vote. The employer can decide what time of day the employee can be excused to vote.

Employers do not have to pay employees for the time lost, but cannot discipline or penalize them in any other way.

Some corporations have moved to offer paid time off or reduce their hours on Election Day.

Wisconsin law also requires employees who become poll workers to receive an unpaid leave of absence on Election Day, if they give seven days' notice. 

State employees who become election officials must continue to receive pay and benefits, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

About fact briefs

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by Gigafact contributor publications.

See all fact briefs

Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.

Learn More

Be a Friend of facts

Help us fund more great fact briefs like this one.