Membership in the United Conservative Party of Alberta has skyrocketed to 123,915 people..The rise in the number almost doubled the 60,000 members the party had before the start of the leadership race in June..The signups raised nearly a million dollars for the party in membership dues.. “Alberta’s Conservative movement is incredibly strong, and these numbers prove it,” said Cynthia Moore, president of the United Conservative Party..“We’ve experienced massive growth in every riding in the province and it’s put us on a solid footing heading into the next election.”. The deadline to join or renew a membership to vote in the leadership election was August 12..A membership in the UCP cost $10 per year, but with members buying multi-year memberships the average purchase price is around $15 per membership..One quarter of the revenue from each membership is shared with the party’s constituency associations. The party banned cash sales and bulk membership submissions..Ballots to all 123,915 eligible members will be mailed starting on September 2 and must be received back to the accounting firm overseeing the vote by October 3 at 5:00 p.m..According to the UCP, there were 87,000 members when the UCP was established in 2017 and around 115,000 members who were eligible to vote in the 2017 leadership election. 3,489 people voted in the 2014 NDP leadership election..The results will be announced on October 6 at an event held at BMO Centre in Calgary. The final leadership debate takes place on August 30 in the Maclab Theatre at the Citadel in Edmonton from 6-8 p.m.
