(Photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)

The field of candidates running for public advocate in the special election scheduled for February 26 remains massive after 23 candidates submitted ballot petition signatures to the New York City Board of Elections by a Monday deadline to get on the ballot.

Candidates were required to submit a minimum of 3,750 signatures though many of them went far beyond the requirement with some submitting more than 10,000. What remains to be seen is how many challenges are filed against certain candidates’ petitions in an effort to disqualify those hopefuls from the race and the results of those challenges. Four candidates are already facing objections to their petitions -- Melissa Mark-Viverito, Rafael Espinal, Ron Kim, and Danniel Maio -- though the details of those objections are not available. Candidates have till Thursday to file objections. And candidates who have not been challenged may also not make the ballot if their campaigns do not file requisite paperwork or something problematic enough is found in what they have submitted. This happened with Ify Ike, who had submitted signatures but then announced that she will not be on the ballot due to other paperwork not having been filed by her campaign lawyer.

The special election is nonpartisan, with each candidate creating their own party line that cannot resemble an existing political party. Here are the 23 candidates who submitted ballot petition signatures, with their party lines, in order of appearance on the Board of Elections’ ledger:

1) Melissa Mark-Viverito (Fix the MTA), former speaker of the New York City Council
2) Michael Blake (For The People), state Assembly member from the Bronx
3) Dawn Smalls (No More Delays), attorney who formerly served in Clinton and Obama presidential administrations
4) Eric Ulrich (Common Sense), New York City Council member from Queens
5) Daniel O'Donnell (Equality For All), state Assembly member from Manhattan
6) Latrice Walker (People For Walker), state Assembly member from Brooklyn
7) Rafael Espinal (Livable City), New York City Council member from Brooklyn
8) Jumaane Williams (The People's Voice), New York City Council member from Brooklyn
9) Ron Kim (People Over Corporations), state Assembly member from Queens
10) Ydanis Rodriguez (UNITED FOR IMMIGRANTS), New York City Council member from Manhattan
11) Danniel S. Maio (I Like Maio), mapmaker and former congressional candidate
12) Gary Popkin (Liberal), libertarian and retired professor
13) Benjamin Yee (COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT), entrepreneur and activist
14) Ifeoma Ike (People Over Profit), community activist (*note: Ike will not appear on the ballot, per her campaign)
15) Manny Alicandro (Better Leadership), attorney
16) Michael Zumbluskas (FIX MTA & NYCHA NOW), Reform Party leader
17) David Eisenbach (Stop REBNY), history professor at Columbia University and 2017 candidate for public advocate
18) Nomiki Konst (Pay People More), journalist and activist
19) Jared Rich (Jared Rich For NYC), attorney
20) Anthony Herbert (Housing Residents First), community activist
21) Walter Iwachiw (I4panyc), perennial candidate for elected office (*note: Iwachiw will not appear on the ballot)
22) Theo Chino (Courage To Change), Bitcoin entrepreneur
23) Helal Sheikh (Friends Of Helal), former City Council candidate (*note: Sheikh will not appear on the ballot)

[Read: Everything You Need to Know About the Special Election for Public Advocate]