As the B.C. Greens' leadership race heats up, the party has added approximately 1,500 members to its rolls, bringing the total number of voting party members to around 8,000.
"We're excited about what the contestants have been doing to bring in new memberships," said Stefan Jonsson, the party's executive advisor.
The B.C. Green Party is selecting a new leader after the departure of Sonia Furstenau in January. MLA Jeremy Valeriote, of West Vancouver-Sea to Sky, took over the job on an interim basis, but does not want the role long-term.
Jonsson said bringing in new members is a key part of the leadership race.
"That is how you grow your base and how you expand your appeal for supporters and with an eye towards the next election," he said.
The B.C. Greens initially reported the number of additional members at more than 3,000, but Jonsson said this was an error due to new software reporting, and the number is closer to 1,500.
While the party welcomes new members, Jonsson said the team is working to verify people's identity and ensure they are true Greens.
People signing up to be new members must not be members of another party and must pledge to hold the values of the Greens. This can be difficult to prove, which is why the Greens are in favour of turning over control of party leadership races to the province's chief electoral officer.
This could combat domestic fraud and foreign interference.
The Greens do what they can to verify identities and do have a process for candidates to challenge someone's membership. Jonsson said the party also stands behind the vetting of the three leadership candidates who are travelling the province recruiting new members.
"Once a contestant has been vetted and accepted into the race, that means that we believe that they carry the same values as the party, and they have the best interests of the party in mind," Jonsson said. "So we trust them to go out and do what they can to build the party."
The three candidates competing in this race are Emily Lowan, Jonathan Kerr and Adam Bremner-Akins.
The deadline for membership registration to be able to vote is Aug. 10. Voting will take place from Sept. 13 to 23, with results to be announced on Sept. 24.
A virtual town hall is scheduled with all three candidates on Aug. 7, and an in-person debate is scheduled for Sept. 13.
