N.Y. must make it easier for working folks

Not everyone is eligible; the paid leave kicks in if employees don’t already have four consecutive nonworking hours between the opening of the polls and the beginning of their shift, or between the end of their shift and the closing of the polls. But many people are.

The primary polls in New York City, Long Island, Westchester and other suburban areas open at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. If you live in those areas and your workday starts at 9 a.m. or earlier or ends later than 5 p.m., you’re eligible. If you live farther upstate — where primary polls don’t open until 12 noon and also close at 9 p.m. — you’re even more likely to be eligible based on your morning schedule.

It’s an employee’s responsibility to exercise their right to vote. But it’s an employer’s responsibility to inform workers that they can do so on the clock. Our nonpartisan #PromoteTheVote campaign by the Association for a Better New York, which I lead, and the Partnership for New York City — two of the city’s leading business organizations — is bringing together employers from across the city and state to notify their employees about this law and encourage them to vote.

Employers are signing up at promotethevote.nyc to get more information and a poster describing the paid-leave law that can be placed publicly in their offices.

Voter participation isn’t just about New York pride; it has real impacts. Low turnout leaves New York and urban areas like ours with less of a voice, which means that our priorities aren’t sufficiently heard in Washington.

Over the years, there have been some broader reforms discussed, including early voting or moving Election Day to a Saturday. Those are worth considering — but in the meantime, we already have a law that’s designed to facilitate turnout.

If New Yorkers feel like going to work presents any obstacle to exercising their civic duty, we’re failing as a business community. But if we go above and beyond in raising awareness on this issue, we can make a real impact on increasing voter participation.

Presidential primaries will help shape the future of our city, state and nation. We all have a stake in participating in the primary, regardless of party or candidate of choice.

Race between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders has injected excitement into usually dull New York presidential primary, but too often, polling places are all but empty.