A judge has rejected an injunction application that would have extended voting for the next leader of the Ontario PC Party.
The hearing was held after members complained to the party that they had not received a PIN code, which prevented them from casting their online ballots. The deadline for PC members to vote was Friday at noon.
The application for an injunction was filed by a number of party members who said they were denied their right to vote. However, reports say a judge made the decision late Friday afternoon to dismiss the injunction, which would have prolonged the Ontario PC leadership race by one week.
Hartley Lefton, the president of the PC Party's Leadership Election Organizing Committee, said the committee is pleased with the decision.
"Our committee was mandated to develop and deliver a fair election to elect the next Leader of the Ontario PC Party, and this ruling confirms we have been consistent with this mandate," he said in a statement.
Lefton added that despite the challenging time of the election, more ballots have been cast than in any other leadership race in the party’s history.
“Our remote balloting process has been secure, open and transparent from the outset. While it was not perfect, we took immediate action when challenges emerged. We worked closely with campaigns to accommodate the needs of members, including extending the verification period three times and extended voting once," he said. "We will review this process in its entirety once it is complete, in light of the challenges, and offer solutions to avoid them in the future."
One of the four PC leadership candidates -- Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, Caroline Mulroney or Tanya Granic Allen -- will be announced as the next party leader on Saturday. Former leader Patrick Brown stepped down in January amid sexual misconduct allegations, which he has strongly refuted.
