Series: 2026 Ontario municipal election voter service — Part 1 of 5
Publication date: September 8, 2026
Community: Durham Region
Format: Voter-service explainer
Primary source: Ontario’s 2026 voters’ guide: How to vote in your municipality
Source checked: September 8, 2026
People mentioned: None
If your work schedule overlaps voting hours on municipal election day, Ontario’s voters’ guide says you are entitled to a three-hour period in which to vote.
What the three-hour rule means
The rule does not automatically provide three paid hours away from work. It means your schedule must leave you with three consecutive hours while voting is available.
The provincial guide uses voting hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. as a typical example. If someone works from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., they already have two hours after work. The guide says that person would be entitled to leave one hour early, giving them the three-hour period from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Your employer may choose the timing
Your employer may decide when it is most convenient for you to be absent. For example, someone scheduled from noon to 6 p.m. could be asked to begin at 1 p.m. instead of leaving at 5 p.m.
What Durham voters should do
- Check the voting dates, hours and methods published by your municipality.
- Compare those hours with your work schedule.
- If you do not have a continuous three-hour voting window, speak with your employer before voting day.
- Confirm local details with your municipal clerk.
This is general voter information, not legal advice. Municipal voting arrangements can differ.
Official source
Read the complete rule in Ontario’s 2026 voters’ guide.
Verification: Source checked September 8, 2026. Consult the provincial guide and municipal clerk for later changes.
Corrections: Report an error.