Voting Leave Requirements in California

At a glance

Eligibility depends on the work schedule

Section 14000 does not create two paid hours for every employee at every election. It applies when a voter lacks sufficient time outside working hours to vote at a statewide election. The employee may then take enough working time that, added to the voting time available outside work, enables the employee to vote.

For example, if the available nonworking period is not sufficient but adding one hour from the shift makes voting possible, the statute authorizes that one working hour. If more working time is genuinely needed, the leave can be longer, but the statutory pay protection remains capped at two hours.

Up to two hours are paid

The statute says the qualifying voter may take time “without loss of pay,” but then limits that protection: no more than two hours of voting leave must be without loss of pay. It does not require the employer to pay an additional portion beyond two hours.

Sections 14000 through 14002 apply to private-industry employers and employees as well as public agencies and their employees. The private-sector rule is the focus here.

The default window is at a shift edge

Unless the parties mutually agree to another arrangement, voting leave must be at the beginning or end of the regular shift. The statutory choice is the edge that produces the most free time for voting and the least time away from the shift.

That rule is more specific than simply letting the employer choose any time of day. A different window is permitted when the employer and employee mutually agree.

Employee notice and employer posting

If, on the third working day before the election, the employee knows or has reason to believe working time will be needed to vote on election day, the employee must give at least two working days' notice that voting time is desired.

The employer has a separate posting duty. At least 10 days before every statewide election, the employer must conspicuously post a notice setting out § 14000 at the workplace, if practicable, or where employees can see it as they enter or leave work.

What trips people up

The two-hour figure is a pay cap, not necessarily the total leave cap. The amount of leave is the working time actually needed to make voting possible; only up to two hours must be paid.

The law is also election-specific. Section 14000 says “statewide election,” so this page does not turn the rule into a mandate for every local-only election.

Common questions

Does every California employee receive two paid hours to vote?

No. The right applies only when the voter lacks sufficient time outside working hours to vote at a statewide election.

Can voting leave exceed two hours?

Yes, if enough additional working time is needed to enable voting. The statute requires no loss of pay for no more than two hours.

Who chooses when the leave occurs?

The default is the beginning or end of the shift, using the edge that creates the most free voting time and least work absence. The parties may mutually agree otherwise.

What must the employer post?

A notice setting out § 14000, posted conspicuously at least 10 days before every statewide election.

Statutes and sources

• Cal. Elec. Code § 14000(a)-(c): eligibility, amount, paid cap, shift-edge timing, and employee notice — official text (accessed July 13, 2026).
• Cal. Elec. Code § 14001: employer posting duty — official text (accessed July 13, 2026).
• Cal. Elec. Code § 14002: public- and private-sector coverage — official text (accessed July 13, 2026).