All four female members of the ACT Greens have put their hands up to contest a membership ballot for the party's deputy leadership.
But the race for the position is expected to be a contest between a minister seen within the Legislative Assembly as the heir apparent and a high-profile backbencher.
Environment Minister Rebecca Vassarotti, who is a member for Kurrajong, is actively vying for the deputy leadership position, which will be created in the party for the first time following a change to its constitution last year.
Jo Clay, who sits on the government backbench and is a member for Ginninderra, is also actively seeking to win support of party members.
The party's constitution says the two leadership positions cannot both be filled by men.
"If the elected leader is not a woman or gender-diverse person, then the elected deputy must be a woman or gender diverse person unless that is not possible due to the genders of the MLAs," the party's constitution says.
Ms Vassarotti told members the neoliberal status quo of the ACT was stopping real change.
"Leadership should be about challenging notions of how politics is meant to work, and not being afraid to put forward policy alternatives that will shake things up," she wrote in a statement.
Ms Clay touted her credentials, including as a lawyer, company director, chief executive and sole trader, and said the role of deputy leader could be many things.
"The deputy could be internally focused. They could test risk and strategy. They could co-ordinate and negotiate with Labor and stakeholders. They could be an extra pair of hands to share the work. They could support others in leadership," she wrote.
"The best value may come from looking at what the party needs and what skills and qualities different people could bring to the role."
The Canberra Times understands Laura Nuttall, who replaced Johnathan Davis in Brindabella on a countback in December, and Emma Davidson, who sits in cabinet, are not actively seeking the position despite nominating.
Ms Nuttall has also confirmed she would seek preselection to run for the Greens at the October election, ending weeks of speculation.
"As a strong believer in the ACT Greens' four pillars, including grassroots democracy, I am eager to put my best foot forward and put myself in the hands of the membership. I know that no matter the outcome of the preselection, the ACT Greens will put forward strong, progressive, and highly qualified candidates all across Canberra," Ms Nuttall said in a statement.
The pair could still be elected to the position, which will be determined by all eligible party members.
Ms Davidson said she wanted the party to choose a deputy leader "whose skills and perspectives are complementary to Shane's, and demonstrates integrity and support for the party room team as well as the wider Greens organisation".
"I hope that you will reflect on the skills we need as you make your choice," she said.
If Ms Clay or Ms Nuttall is successfully elected, the Greens would be in a unique position of having a deputy leader who sat outside cabinet.
But members will also need to consider whether having both the party leader and deputy leader in Kurrajong is a risky political strategy. Ms Vassarotti sits in Kurrajong alongside Greens leader Shane Rattenbury.
Mr Rattenbury said the ballot would make the party more democratic and it would not be a problem if the deputy leader sat outside of the ACT's cabinet.
"Right now we operate on a basis where our members have different skills, they take on different responsibilities. All of our MLAs lead at different times in different capacities," Mr Rattenbury said.
"But certainly there is a place for having some structure, and that's what we're trying to reflect - the necessity of having some structure in our leadership model - but at the same time making sure that all six of our MLAs are contributing."
Mr Rattenbury is running unopposed to retain the position of party leader, which he has held since 2012. He said he thought the prospect of being deposed by an empty chair was not going to be an issue.
ACT Greens convenor Michael Brewer in September 2023 said the Greens were the most democratic political party in the ACT.
"In the other parties, the power plays and lack of transparency in their preselection and leadership decisions flows through to the way they govern," Mr Brewer said.
"Forget factional dealings and parachute politics; in the ACT Greens every member gets a say."
The secret ballot will close on March 12.
