From 20, only eight remain.

That’s how many contenders remain in the race for an At-Large seat on the D.C. Council after yesterday’s filing deadline for nominating petitions. Interim Councilmember Anita Bonds (D-At Large), former Councilmember Michael Brown, Patrick Mara, Perry Redd, Matthew Frumin, John Settles, Elissa Silverman, and Paul Zuckerberg turned in more than the 3,000 signatures needed to initially get on the April 23 ballot; A.J. Cooper and Jon Gann announced that they were dropping out to support other candidates, while nothing was heard from the remaining 10 hopefuls.

Merely turning in signatures to get on the ballot is a test for many candidates. Both Frumin and Mara touted their signature totals, saying they each gathered over 6,000 signatures from D.C. voters. Silverman, on the other hand, approached the situation differently: she turned in just over 4,300 signatures, of which she said 3,500 were verified by campaign staff.

Why is that important? Because the next step in the process allows candidates and residents to challenge the validity of signatures turned in by the candidates; a wrong address or an unregistered voter could lead D.C. Board of Elections officials to strike a signature. Last year, Brown barely made it on the ballot after 1,300 of the signatures he turned in were challenged; he subsequently lost to Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large).

The challenge period ends on February 4.