Voting in the Alberta election

Dear Locals,

There are only 11 days until Election Day in Alberta. I wanted to take a moment to remind locals how to vote to support progressive candidates in this upcoming election and to share important information about time off work to go vote.

All Steelworkers are encouraged to get out and vote. Advance voting takes place Tues., May 23-Sat., May 27, and Election Day is on Mon., May 29.

How to vote in the Alberta Election:

Find where you vote at: https://map.elections.ab.ca

Election Day – May 29
On Election Day, Monday, May 29 every elector is assigned a voting location based on their place of ordinary residence. Electors may only vote at their assigned voting location. All Election Day voting locations are open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Advance Voting – May 23-27
Advance voting takes place the week before Election Day, from Tuesday, May 23 through Saturday, May 27 between 9:00 am and 8:00 pm. While days and hours of operation may vary for some locations, every electoral division will have at least one location open for the full advance voting period. Electors may choose to vote at any advance voting location.

Time off for Voting

https://www.elections.ab.ca/voters/how-to-vote/time-off-for-voting/

The Election Act requires employers to provide employees with time off to vote, as follows:

• Electors should have three consecutive, non-work hours to vote during one of the days of advance voting or on Election Day.

• If an elector’s work schedule does not provide for the three consecutive hours, the employer must provide extra time off. The employer retains the right as to when to give the employee time off, whether on any of the days of advance voting or on Election Day.

• When the extra hours are provided by the employer, the time given must be paid, and no penalty should be imposed on the employee for taking time off.

• The extra time off is for voting only.

• Electors may also vote by Special Ballot.

NOTE: Electors that have already voted are not eligible for extra time off on an advance voting day or on Election Day.

Examples:

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

An elector works all 5 days of advance voting and on Election Day between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. The employee 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 (9:00 am to noon) or one hour in the evening (5:00 pm to 8:00 pm) on any of the voting days. In this example, the employer retains the right as to when to give the employee time off.

NOTE: The employer may determine what impacts their operation the least.

In solidarity,

Scott Lunny
Director

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