(OTTAWA) Federal Conservatives say about 675,000 members have registered to vote for a new leader, a staggering number that the Conservatives say sets an all-time high for any federal political party.
Posted at 6:41 p.m.
The party sent a preliminary voters list to candidates on Thursday and the final number is still subject to change as leadership contestants will now be able to challenge the validity of some of the registrations.
Until Monday at the end of the day, the candidates will be able to launch challenges, which must be justified, and the electoral list will be finalized in July.
However, the party says some 6,500 non-compliant memberships have already been removed — for example, people who signed up more than once or used prepaid cards.
The Conservative Party does not disclose the number of members registered by each candidate. Pierre Poilievre claimed on his website to have sold nearly 312,000 memberships.
Five other candidates are vying for the job: Ontario Conservative MPs Scott Aitchison and Leslyn Lewis, former Quebec premier Jean Charest, Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, Ontario, and Roman Baber, a former Independent MP from Ontario.
The winner of the race will be announced in Ottawa on September 10.