TORONTO, ON – This afternoon, the Ontario Liberal Party’s (OLP) new Executive Council met to establish the leadership process for electing a new leader in 2023.
Following the membership’s decision to move to a direct voting system in March, the Ontario Liberal Party is excited to share details of what will be our most inclusive and accessible leadership process – ever.
Rules agreed upon by the OLP Executive Council today include:
- The candidate registration deadline is Tuesday, September 5, 2023 with an entry fee of $100,000. Plus a refundable $25,000 deposit.
- The membership cut-off date to be eligible to join the Ontario Liberal Party and vote is Monday, September 11, 2023.
- The party will proceed with a ranked balloting system. Party members will cast their ranked ballots on Saturday, November 25, 2023 and Sunday, November 26, 2023.
- Voting will be available in person for almost all constituency associations, student clubs, and women’s clubs, with a small number voting by mail.
- Student clubs will have a later membership cut-off date of Tuesday, September 26, 2023.
- Ballot counting and the announcement of round-by-round results will take place on Saturday, December 2, 2023 with the OLP’s new leader announced the same day.
- Further information on the opening date for candidate registration will be announced soon.
Under the new leadership election system, each constituency association will be allotted 100 points, to be awarded to leadership candidates based on the proportion of votes they receive. Student clubs will be allotted 50 points and women’s clubs will be allotted 5.
“Selecting our next Leader is central to setting the stage for a successful campaign that will end Doug Ford’s disastrous term as Premier,” said Kathryn McGarry, OLP President. “Liberals from all across Ontario are feeling energized following our Party’s largest Annual Meeting in over 20 years, and are eager to continue building on this momentum as we prepare for a strong and competitive leadership race.”
During the leadership election, the Party will also host at least five debates around the province. Dates and locations for these debates will be announced at a later date.
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