Time Off to Vote During the Upcoming Referendum

The 2026 Alberta Referendum will take place on October 19, 2026 and all employees have rights and responsibilities when it comes to voting.

Under the Referendum Act, the Election Act and the regulations under it apply to the upcoming  Referendum. In accordance with the Election Act, all electors must have three consecutive, non-work hours to vote either on Election Day or during advance voting days. If the regular work schedule does not provide for this time, the university will provide paid time off to ensure employees have the opportunity to vote. All election day voting locations are open from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and advance voting locations are open from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m from October 13-17, 2026. 

Please keep the following in mind:

• If an employee already has three consecutive non-working hours during polling hours, no additional time off is required.
• If additional time is needed, management will determine when that time will be provided, either on an advance voting day or on election day.
• Any time off provided for voting purposes will be paid, and no penalties or deductions will apply.
• This time off is to be used only for voting.
• If an employee has already voted (by special ballot or earlier advance voting), they are not eligible for extra time off.

Example Scenarios:

Example 1: An elector works all 5 days of advance voting and must work between 9:00am and 5:00pm on Election Day. Since the employee has three consecutive hours outside of their work hours – between 5:00pm and 8:00pm – to vote, the employer does not need to provide extra time off for voting. 

Example 2: An elector works all 5 days of advance voting and on Election Day between 10:00am and 6:00pm. The elector does not have three consecutive non-work hours for voting on any voting day. The employer could provide either two hours off in the morning (from 10:00am to 12:00pm) or one hour in the evening (from 5:00pm to 6:00pm) on any of the voting days. In this example, the employer retains the right as to which day and time to give the employee extra time off.

NOTE: The employer may determine days and times based on what impacts their operation the least. 

More information can be found on the Elections Alberta time off for voting web page. Please contact your HR Partner for additional information.