Voting Leave Requirements in Wyoming
At a glance
| Governing law | Wyo. Stat. § 22-2-111 |
|---|---|
| Eligible workers and elections | Any person entitled to vote at a primary, general, or special election to fill a U.S. House vacancy (§ 22-2-111(a)) |
| Outside-work-hours test | No right if the employee has 3 or more consecutive nonworking hours while the polls are open (§ 22-2-111(b)) |
| Time-off amount | One hour, other than meal hours, between poll opening and closing (§ 22-2-111(a)) |
| Paid or unpaid | No loss of pay for the hour, but only if the elector actually casts a legal vote (§ 22-2-111(a)) |
| When leave is taken | The one hour is taken at the convenience of the employer (§ 22-2-111(a)) |
| Employee notice and employer posting | No employee-notice or employer-posting duty in § 22-2-111 |
| Protection and penalties | The section grants the paid hour but names no penalty, misdemeanor, or civil remedy for a violation (§ 22-2-111) |
One hour, and pay depends on actually voting
Wyoming grants a narrower window than most states: one hour, "other than meal hours," to vote while the polls are open on election day. The paid part carries an unusual string. The employee "shall not, because of so absenting himself, lose any pay, providing he actually casts his legal vote." In other words, the hour is paid only if the employee in fact votes; an employee who takes the hour and does not cast a legal vote has no statutory pay protection for it.
The covered elections are also specified: a primary, a general election, or a special election to fill a U.S. House vacancy. The one-hour right is tied to those elections.
The employer sets the hour, and the three-hour exception
The hour is "at the convenience of the employer," so the employer chooses when in the day it falls. And the whole section drops away for an employee who already has three or more consecutive nonworking hours while the polls are open. An employee with that much off-duty time during polling hours is not entitled to the voting hour.
What trips people up
Two features set Wyoming apart. First, the pay is conditional: you must actually vote to be protected from lost pay. Second, the free-time cutoff is three consecutive hours, higher than the two-hour cutoff used in several neighboring states, so more employees fall outside the right.
The statute also carries no enforcement clause of its own. It states the right and the pay condition, but does not attach a misdemeanor, fine, or civil action to a violation the way some states' voting-leave laws do.
Common questions
How much time do I get, and is it paid?
One hour, outside meal hours. It is without loss of pay only if you actually cast a legal vote.
When does the right not apply?
When you already have three or more consecutive nonworking hours while the polls are open.
Can my employer choose the hour?
Yes. The hour is taken at the employer's convenience.
Which elections are covered?
A primary, a general election, or a special election to fill a U.S. House seat.
Statutes and sources
- Wyo. Stat. § 22-2-111: the one-hour voting absence, the "actually casts his legal vote" pay condition, the employer-convenience timing, and the three-consecutive-hour exception — 2025 Wyoming Statutes text (accessed July 13, 2026).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
What does Wyoming law mean for your facts?
You just read the general rule. Ask your own question and see which parts of current Wyoming law apply to your situation, with citations you can check.
Opens in Ezel Pro.
- Starts from the statutes this survey is built on
- Cites every source it relies on, so you can verify it
- Chat, drafting and research in one workspace