Voting Leave

Under state law found at T.C.A. § 2-1-106, any person who is entitled to vote in an election held in Tennessee is entitled to take a reasonable amount of time off from work, up to three (3) hours, in order to vote during the time the polls are open in the county where the employee is a resident. The employer may specify the hours during which the employee may be absent, and the employee is required to apply for voting leave to the employer before noon of the day before the election.  The state law further provides that the employee cannot be penalized or suffer a reduction in pay due to the absence. There is an exception to this requirement—if the employee’s work period begins three or more hours after the opening of the polls or ends three or more hours before the closing of the polls, then the employer is not required to allow any time off from work.