What States Have Election Day as a Holiday? Full List of What’s Open, Closed

Election Day marks the day most Americans will cast their ballots for the presidential and state and local elections. This year, Election Day falls on Tuesday, November 5.
Not every state has declared Election Day a public holiday, but to help facilitate voting, some have, mandating that many companies offer paid time off so people can vote.
Only five states—Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New York and West Virginia—recognize Election Day as a public holiday and enforce a requirement for employers to allow for time off to vote. That comprises roughly 13 percent of the voting-eligible population, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
Nine states have Election Day as a public holiday but do not enforce paid leave for voting—Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Virginia.
That leaves 17 states that force employers to let their employees take time off but do not have Election Day as a public holiday. California and Texas, two of the largest states, are included.
California, for example, allows voters to get two hours of paid leave to vote if they do not have enough time outside of their working hours.
A few states, like Connecticut, Louisiana and Michigan, do not offer any support to help residents take time off to work. Instead, mail-in ballots and early voting are available to help make sure everyone eligible to vote can do so.
Because Election Day is not recognized as a federal holiday, banks should continue operations as usual.
Bank of America, PNC Bank and Wells Fargo report being open.
Banks generally close on the days deemed holidays by the U.S. federal government.
While many schools will continue operations as usual, some will shut down and operate as polling centers.
El Paso, Texas, for example, will see three districts close because of safety concerns amid voting at the schools.
“This is the first year that we feel we have some concerns regarding the safety of students, not because of anything that’s happening, not because of any specific threat, but simply because the state is enforcing an elections law that prevents us from locking our front doors,” Gustavo Reveles, spokesperson for Canutillo Independent School District, told KFOX in El Paso.
Each local school district will have the final say, but public schools in major cities like New York and Chicago will be closed on Election Day.
The U.S. Post Office will deliver mail on Election Day, according to its holiday schedule.
Outside of the Post Office, some other businesses are adjusting hours to allow employees more flexibility to get their ballot in. That includes REI, which will delay opening hours by two hours, as well as clothing store Patagonia, which is completely closing stores to make sure employees have time to vote.
Many state courts are shutting down on November 5.
The Southern District of New York lists Election Day as a holiday, as do state districts like Illinois’ court system. That means all employees will get time off, and no hearings will be scheduled for that day.
Nationally, Americans are choosing between the two major-party candidates, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump. Americans will also elect lawmakers for all 435 House seats and 34 Senate positions.