Who to vote for in Northern Tablelands election: Ten candidates to contest state election

It is the biggest field the electorate has seen in its history, which is more than 40 years.

A string of smaller parties and a couple of independents have nominated, along with the candidates from the Nationals, Labor, Greens and Shooters parties.

It was a couple of the smaller parties that drew the top spots on the ballot paper, with Alan Crowe from Sustainable Australia Party at number one followed by the Legalise Cannabis Party candidate Peter O'Loughlin.

An independent candidate from Guyra, Billy Wood, who got his nomination in just before the deadline is in third spot, followed by incumbent MP Adam Marshall, who was not at the draw, at number four.

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They are followed by Gary Hampton, a retired principal at Inverell who is running for a new party called the Public Education Party, at five, and Labor's Yvonne Langenberg at six.

At number seven is Uralla-based independent Natasha Ledger, who ran for the federal seat of New England in 2019, followed by the Greens candidate Elizabeth O'Hara from Armidale.

In the final two spots are Liberal Democrat candidate Margaret Hammond, and Michael Hay from the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.

Previously, the largest number of candidates at an election in Northern Tablelands had been seven, which has happened three times.

The first was in 1999 when independent Richard Torbay won for the first time.

Four years later there was seven candidates again as Mr Torbay firmed his grip on the seat winning more than 70 per cent of the vote.

The last time there was seven candidates was 10 years ago at the May 2013 byelection following Mr Torbay's resignation.

That was the first election won by Mr Marshall, who will be hoping to make it his fourth election victory on March 25.

Since the 2013 byelection, he has won at the state elections in 2015 and 2019.

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