Disability Victory Endorses The Time Off to Vote Act

Disability Victory has endorsed the Time Off to Vote Act, which would provide paid leave for voters to use to vote at their polling place, return a mail-in ballot, or perform other voting-related activities.

The Time Off to Vote Act, introduced by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), would require employers to provide at least two consecutive hours of paid leave in order to participate in federal elections. Companion legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Matt Cartwright (D-PA). 

People with disabilities face increased barriers to the ballot box, from inaccessible polling places, to poll workers who are unfamiliar with how to operate accessible voting systems, to difficulty getting accessible transportation to the polls. Sometimes, these barriers can increase the amount of time it takes for disabled voters to cast a ballot—or even make it impossible. The Time Off to Vote Act would give disabled employees more flexibility to go to the polls or drop off their mail-in ballot during their workday.

There is so much work to be done to ensure that all voters have full access to the ballot box. While we continue to urge wide-sweeping voter reforms through legislation like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Accessible Voting Act, we support reforms like the Time off to Vote Act which will give workers more opportunities to cast their ballot without experiencing financial hardship.

Learn about the Time Off to Vote Act

Learn about other legislation Disability Victory has endorsed to increase access to civic engagement for disabled Americans.