PCs aim for grassroots influence on leadership vote

The P.E.I. Progressive Conservatives will choose a new leader using preferential ballots where voters rank each candidate in order of preference on a single ballot at the party's convention next month.

Party members say, as far as they're aware, it's the first time an Island party has used the voting system to choose a leader. It means delegates will only have to vote one time at the convention instead of multiple times.

Gordon MacFarlane, leadership convention committee spokesman, says it will also prevent losing candidates from trying to transfer their delegates over to someone else.

"The preferential ballot gives more influence to the actual voter, than the previous system where you'd see delegates potentially following their candidate across the floor," said MacFarlane.

"It really gives more influence to a grassroots member to decide who their next leader's going to be."

The party is also allowing mail-in ballots and holding advance polls, which again they say are firsts for P.E.I.

MacFarlane said those measures are meant to increase voter participation, but admits they're likely to decrease turnout at the actual convention.

The PCs will choose their leader Feb. 28 at the University of Prince Edward Island field house.