About 675,000 members registered to vote for a new leader, according to the federal conservatives, a staggering number that the conservatives say represents an all-time high for any political party in the federal government.
The party sent a preliminary electoral roll to candidates on Thursday, and the final number is subject to change as candidates for the leadership can now challenge the validity of some registrations.
Until Monday at the end of the day, candidates can launch challenges that need to be justified, and the electoral roll will be finalized in July.
However, according to the party, around 6,500 non-compliant memberships have already been removed – such as 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: Conservative Ontario MPs Scott Aitchison and Leslyn Lewis, former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, Ontario, and Roman Baber, a former independent Ontario MP.
The race winner will be announced in Ottawa on September 10th.
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