2026 Alberta Referendum: Employer Obligations for Employee Voting Leave

On October 19th, 2026, Albertans will vote in the provincial referendum.  Turnout is expected to be very high, which may lead to lines at polling stations and increased concern from employees about having sufficient time to cast their vote.

Employers should be aware that the employee voting leave provisions under Alberta’s Election Act will apply to the referendum and may require employers to provide paid time off to enable their employees to vote.  

What are Employer’s Obligations?

The Election Act requires that employees have three consecutive non-working hours to vote during voting hours on advanced voting days or election day.  If an employee’s work schedule does not provide three consecutive hours to vote during advance voting or on Referendum Election Day, the employer must provide sufficient time off to ensure that requirement is met.  Voting hours for both advance voting and Election Day are 9:00am to 8:00pm. Advance voting will be available from October 13 to October 17, 2026.  

Employers retain the right to determine with the time off will be provided, and may choose to schedule the leave during advance voting or on Election day at a time that causes the least disruption to operation.  Where time off to vote is required, employees must be paid for that time.  Employers are not entitled to make deductions from wages or impose penalty on an employee who must take time off to vote. 

Employees who have already voted, through advance voting or special ballot, are not entitled to additional time off for voting purposes.  Any time off provided is for voting purposes only.

Additional information about time off for voting and the voting process can be found on Elections Alberta’s website

Practical Examples 

An employee who is schedule from 9:00am to 5:00pm already has three consecutive hours available to vote between 5:00pm and 8:00pm. No additional time is required.  

An employee who is scheduled from 10:00am to 6:00pm on each of October 13-17 and 19, does not have three consecutive hours of non-working time during voting hours and therefore the employer must provide time off.  This could be done by providing two hours off at the beginning of the work day or by allowing the employee to leave work one hour early at the end of the day.

An employee who is scheduled from 10:00am to 6:00pm on October 14-17 and 19, but does not have to work on October 13. No additional time is required because the employee has three consecutive hours to vote on October 13. 

Key Takeaways 

With the referendum approaching, Alberta employers should:  

  • Highlight the range of special ballot and advance poll options to employees to enable them to make a plan to vote;
  • Review employee schedules during the voting period; 
  • Determine whether employees have three consecutive non-working hours available for voting; 
  • Provide paid time off where necessary; and  
  • Communicate voting leave requirements to managers and supervisors.  
If you have any additional questions regarding voting leave obligations or other workplace issues arising from the referendum, please contact a member of McLennan Ross’ Labour & Employment team.