The 2026 Nine-in-One Polling Day is a holiday. Ministry of Labor: Employers must pay wages and must not hinder voting.

It's a day off on polling day! Workers should take one day off in accordance with the law and receive wages (provided by the Ministry of Labor)

[Reporter Li Lianghui/Taipei Report] The 2026 nine-in-one election will be voted on November 28. The Ministry of Labor reminded today (13th) that November 28 is Article 37 of the Labor Standards Act. On holidays stipulated in the Article, for workers who have the right to vote on that day and it was originally a working day, the employer shall give the workers a day off in accordance with the law and pay them the same wages; if the workers have to agree to work on that day due to work needs, double the wages for the working period shall be paid, and workers shall be allowed time to vote without hindering their exercise of voting rights.

The Ministry of Labor pointed out that "one day" of holiday refers to 24 consecutive hours from 0:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Since voting rights can only be exercised on the day of voting, its nature is different from general holidays (national holidays). Therefore, the holiday on the day of voting cannot be exchanged with other working days.

The Ministry of Labor emphasized that employers must ask workers with the right to vote to attend work on the voting day, provided that they must obtain workers' consent and should not hinder workers from voting. That is to say, workers should be allowed to take time off to vote, and wages for attendance on that day should be increased.

As for the calculation of wages, if it is a working day belonging to the employee, the employer should pay double the wages for the working hours. The Ministry of Labor gave an example. The employer and employee originally agreed to work for 8 hours that day. If the employee went out to vote for 2 hours and returned to work for 6 hours, the employer must pay an additional 6 hours of wages. If the voting day is a rest day for workers, the number of hours worked will be calculated in accordance with the provisions of Article 24, Paragraph 2 of the Labor Standards Act regarding additional wages for attendance on rest days.

The Ministry of Labor reminds that there have been many complaints in the past that workers were unable to vote because employers required workers to attend work. It reminds workers that if there are violations of relevant regulations, workers can submit relevant evidence and file a complaint with the nearest local labor administrative authority or the Ministry of Labor’s 1955 hotline to safeguard their own rights and interests.