Nearly 24,000 Manitoba PC members eligible to choose new party leader, premier

About 24,000 people are eligible to choose Manitoba's next premier.

The Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba says it has tabulated a preliminary list of 23,624 voterseligible to choose its new leader and the province's next premier through the party's one-member, one-vote selection process.

Candidates Shelly Glover and Heather Stefanson had until Oct. 1 to sell memberships to the party, which has spent the past week sifting through the applications.

"We have had an unprecedented number of membership applications to process at the deadline, which must be properly vetted before being included in our voters list," party spokesperson Keith Stewart said in a statement.

"A preliminary voters list of 23,624 has been shared with the candidates, along with a list requiring additional verification. Ballot preparation on the preliminary list will begin immediately, and the final voters list number will be updated following a short revision period."

Stewart did not say when the initial ballots would be mailed out.

The winner is slated to be announced Oct. 30.