Time off to vote in the provincial election


As you may be aware, the British Columbia provincial election takes place on Saturday, October 24, 2020. Voting will take place between 8:00am and 8:00pm.


UBC employees who are registered voters, and scheduled to work that day, are entitled to four consecutive hours free from work in which to vote. Employees with less than four hours of personal time between voting hours and the start or end of their working day may require paid time off. Employees who are scheduled to start work later than 12:00pm, or to finish work before 4:00pm, will have four consecutive hours of personal time and do not require extra time off to vote.


Employees who do not have the appropriate time off to vote on election day may alternatively request time off to vote during advance voting, provided they do not have four consecutive hours free from work during advance voting times. Advance voting is open Thursday, October 15 to Wednesday, October 21 between 8:00am and 8:00pm.


If an employee makes such a request for paid leave, it must be granted. However, the BC Election Act confirms that the time off may be scheduled at the convenience of the employer. It is up to each department to determine whether an employee is to be permitted a late start or an early finish.


For more information about providing time for employees to vote on election day, visit https://elections.bc.ca/voting/voting-accessibility/time-off-work-for-voting/


If you have any questions, please contact your Human Resources Advisor or Associate:

• UBC Vancouver: https://hr.ubc.ca/contact/contact-advisory-services
• UBC Okanagan: https://hr.ok.ubc.ca/contact/

Lindi Frost
Interim Managing Director, Human Resources — Advisory Partnerships, Central Operational Services and HR Professional Standards


Gillian Henderson
Executive Director, Human Resources, UBC Okanagan