Washington: Voting Leave Requirements
The short answer
Washington does not currently require a private employer to provide time off or pay for an employee to vote; the former employer-duty statute, RCW 49.28.120, was repealed in 2013. Current election law instead makes it a Class C felony to use menace, force, threats, or unlawful means toward a voter to hinder or deter voting. No current statute creates a leave duration, outside-work-hours test, scheduling rule, employee notice deadline, or employer posting duty.
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This is the general rule in Washington. Ezel applies current Washington law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law | Former RCW 49.28.120 repealed by 2013 c. 11 § 94; current voter-coercion rule at RCW 29A.84.620 |
|---|---|
| Eligible workers and elections | No current statutory leave eligibility; RCW 29A.84.620 protects any voter from menace, force, threats, or unlawful means used to hinder or deter voting |
| Outside-work-hours test | None; Washington's former employer voting-time statute was repealed |
| Time-off amount | None required under current law |
| Paid or unpaid | No mandatory voting-leave pay under current law |
| When leave is taken | No current statutory voting-leave window or scheduling rule |
| Employee notice and employer posting | No current voting-leave employee notice or employer posting duty |
| Protection and penalties | No current employment-absence protection; menace, force, threats, or unlawful means used to hinder or deter a voter is a Class C felony (RCW 29A.84.620) |
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Washington repealed its employer voting-time rule
The official code disposition for former § 49.28.120 identifies the section as
“Employer's duty to provide time to vote” and records that it was repealed by a
2013 act. Washington therefore no longer has that general private-employer
voting-time mandate.
Under current law, an employee who needs time away from scheduled work to vote
must use an employer policy or another applicable agreement. The current code
sets no leave amount, pay rule, outside-work-hours test, employee notice,
employer posting, or schedule-control procedure.
Current law protects voters from coercion
RCW 29A.84.620 makes it unlawful to use menace, force, threats, or another
unlawful means toward a voter to hinder or deter the voter from voting. It also
prohibits bribery or rewards exchanged for a vote for or against a person or
ballot measure.
That offense is a Class C felony. It protects the act of voting, but it does not
recreate the repealed employment-absence right.
What trips people up
An older source may still describe Washington's former employer duty. The
current official disposition page, not the historical text standing alone,
controls: RCW 49.28.120 was repealed in 2013.
The coercion felony is also not a substitute leave formula. It does not award a
fixed absence, require wages, or direct an employer to schedule voting time.
Common questions
Does Washington require paid time off to vote?
No. The former employer voting-time statute was repealed, and current law states
no general private-sector voting-leave pay requirement.
Is there still protection against being stopped from voting?
Yes. RCW 29A.84.620 makes specified menace, force, threats, or unlawful means
used to hinder or deter voting a Class C felony.
Must an employee give advance notice?
Current Washington law creates no voting-leave request or notice procedure. An
employer policy or agreement may still establish an internal process.
Statutes and sources
- Former RCW 49.28.120: official disposition recording repeal of the employer's
duty to provide voting time —
official disposition
(accessed July 13, 2026). - RCW 29A.84.620: Class C felony for specified coercion, unlawful means, or
bribery affecting a voter —
official text
(accessed July 13, 2026).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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