March 14, 2024 3:50 a.m.

On Wednesday, U.S. Senator Ron Wyden said he has joined eleven Senate colleagues in introducing legislation that would require employers – upon the employee’s request – to provide at least two consecutive hours of paid leave in order to participate in federal elections.

Under the Time Off to Vote Act, this allotted time could be used to vote at a polling place, return a mail-in ballot, or take time for “other voting-related activities”, such as making technical corrections to a mail-in ballot or driving someone to the polls.

Wyden said, “People should not have to choose between voting and a paycheck”. Wyden said, “Ensuring every American’s voice is heard – no matter their occupation – is the cornerstone of democracy. We cannot and will not allow the suppression of any American citizen’s precious right to vote. This bill makes it easier for working-class Americans to meaningfully participate in the democratic process and know that their voice makes a difference”.

A release from Wyden said Oregon has been voting by jail since Wyden was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996 and went to all vote-by-mail in 2000. Since then, Oregon has consistently had voter turnout rates that are among the highest in the country. In the rest of the country however, research has shown many eligible American voters still fail to exercise their right to vote because they are unable to get time off from work.

The legislation is led in the Senate by Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono. Companion legislation has also been introduced in the House.

The full text of the legislation is linked: https://www.hirono.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/2024_time_off_to_vote_act_bill_text.pdf