Working on Voting Day? Ontario law gives you time to vote
Working on Voting Day, Monday, Oct. 26? Polls are open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. If your shift doesn't leave you three hours in a row to vote, Ontario law says you can take the time you need, with no pay cut.
Topics: Election 2026
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Windsor votes on Monday, Oct. 26. If you're scheduled to work that day, Ontario law makes sure you still have time to cast a ballot.
When polls are open
Voting places in Windsor are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Voting Day. The City of Windsor says you can vote at any voting location in your ward.
The rule
Section 50 of Ontario's Municipal Elections Act says a voter whose work hours would not otherwise give them three consecutive hours to vote on Voting Day is entitled to be absent from work for as long as it takes to have those three hours.
What that looks like
If you work 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., you already have three hours free after work, from 5 to 8 p.m., so no extra time is owed. If you work 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., you'd be entitled to leave at 5 p.m. That's how employment lawyers at Filion Wakely Thorup Angeletti LLP explain the rule.
Your pay
The Act says the time off should be timed to suit the employer's convenience as much as possible, and the employer can't deduct pay or impose any other penalty for it.
What it means for you
Check your shift for Oct. 26 now. If it doesn't leave you three hours in a row between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., talk to your employer ahead of time about when you'll take the time. And if you're in line at your voting place before 8 p.m., you can still vote. Election questions go to 311.
