When the High Court ruled Barnaby Joyce ineligible to hold office, few were surprised.

But more than a few eyebrows were raised when 16 other candidates put their hand up for the battle of New England on December 2.

Former independent member Tony Windsor surprised many when he decided not to run.

One Nation was expected to field a candidate but decided to concentrate on the Queensland election instead.

In fact, fewer than half the candidates running actually live in the northern NSW electorate.

Former WA Liberal Ian Britza is standing for the seat of New England. ( ABC News: Jennifer Ingall )

The candidates: 1. Richard Stretton, Christian Democrats 2. Skyla Wagstaff, Animal Justice Party 3. Andrew Potts, Affordable Housing Party 4. Jeff Madden, Independent 5. Tristan Smyth, Liberal Democrat 6. Dean Carter, Independent 7. Barnaby Joyce, Nationals 8. William Bourke, Sustainable Australia 9. Warwick Stacey, Seniors United Party of Australia 10. Rob Taber, Independent 11. Peter Mailer, Country Minded 12. David Ewings, ALP 13. Donald Cranney, Rise Up Australia 14. Peter Wills, Green 15. Jamie McIntyre, Independent 16. Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow, Science Party 17. Ian Britza, Australian Country Party

Take Ian Britza. He says he is unashamedly conservative, a former member of the WA Liberal Party who lost his seat in May, joined the Australian Country Party and made a beeline for Tamworth.

He thinks the seat needs someone not bound by party lines.

"What I do know how to do, and I do it well, is two things — I know how to listen and I'm not interested in titles or positions, so New England would finally have a member who would stand up for them," he said.

Blow-ins get people talking

Another blow-in got people talking immediately, but not about his politics.

Sydney's Meow-Ludo Disco Gamma Meow-Meow — his actual name — insists he has a genuine interest in the New England region.

"I used to live around the corner in Gloucester. I stayed there for about a year with my father," he said.

"I've always taken holidays in the country."

Mr Meow said his Science Party was data and technology focused.

"I really care about farmers and I have seen the difference technology can make to improving their profits and their quality of life, by reducing the amount of time they need to spend on the farm," he said.

In all there are 17 names on the ballot paper, and while Mr Meow's name may capture people's attention, whether it is enough to make them tick the box remains to be seen.

The most recognisable name on the ballot will be the former member Mr Joyce.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was in town to attend the Melbourne Cup race day at Tamworth last month. ( ABC News: Madeline Lewis )

Apart from public appearances at the Melbourne Cup with the Prime Minister, and a controversial agricultural award from mining magnate Gina Rinehart, Mr Joyce has kept a fairly low profile since publicly launching his campaign.

He has so far refused to participate in candidate forums because of the high number of "out of towners".

"If you have 17 candidates they all speak for 10 minutes each. That means you have to listen to three hours, and I can tell you what their message is — that I am a terrible person," he said.

Mr Joyce has also been the subject of alleged death threats, his office has been vandalised, and he claims he is being stalked.

Local member missing from debates

Other candidates have been critical of Mr Joyce's absence from debates.

"What his strategy is and what his campaign has decided to do to manage that I've really got no idea," Labor candidate David Ewings said.

"It would have been better had he fronted me as the Labor candidate, and other candidates to give them their due respect, but also most importantly the voters."

Labor candidate David Ewings has had strong backing from his party during the campaign, including Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen. ( ABC News: Jennifer Ingall )

While there is a prevailing feeling there is little hope for anyone running against the former deputy PM, that has not deterred many.

Armidale's Rob Taber has done the rounds before, contesting the past two federal elections, and he is back in the race.

"It appeared to me it was going to be a formality and I just think that's wrong. We need to give the people of New England a choice," he said.

The independent candidate will be focusing on renewable energy.

Liverpool Plains farmer Peter Wills is standing for the Greens. ( ABC News: Jennifer Ingall )

Farmer Peter Wills threw his hat into the ring out of frustration.

Mr Wills said his community had spent more than a decade fighting against coal and gas companies eyeing off resources under the Liverpool Plains.

"I became a member of the Greens because they are the only ones who have been standing with our community from day one on this core issue of coal and coal seam gas."

He said he was standing for people who had lost faith in the National Party.

"Our community just feels absolutely abandoned. Based around the Quirindi end of the Shenhua [coal mine] development, we just feel we no longer have a voice," he said.

Grain farmer Peter Mailler, from western NSW, wants a better deal for farmers. ( ABC News: Matt Beford )

Another farmer from further west, Peter Mailler was one of the first to throw his hat into the ring, fearing the by-election would be a one-way race.

He too believes the electorate has been taken for granted.

"It's about making sure the candidate that goes to Canberra can leverage supply and confidence to the best effect for the people of New England, and indeed for rural and regional Australia generally," he said.

Mr Mailler, a former chairman of Grain Producers Australia, is standing on a rural platform under the CountryMinded banner.

He said the seat of New England potentially could hold some clout with the Federal Government holding on to its majority by a whisker.

Pre-polling has begun in the seat, with more than 26,000 votes cast as of Thursday.

More than 90 polling booths have been set up across the electorate.