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PHOENIX — And the winners are — Sandy Whitehouse and James Creighton Mitchell Jr.

Those are the names that will appear, respectively, at the top of the Democratic and Republican ballots for president on Feb. 5. But unlike the more famous contenders, you've likely never heard of either of them — or most of those on the ballots.

In Arizona nearly anyone can qualify for the presidential preference election ballot simply by filling out some forms and meeting a few basic requirements. So, to find the candidates you know, you'll need to sift through a list of 24 names — 48 total between the two ballots. And that's thanks, in part, to a Tucson publication.

Half of the names on the Democratic side and eight on the Republican side are participating in Project White House, a "reality journalism" contest sponsored by the Tucson Weekly.

Whitehouse and Mitchell are participants. The winner of the contest will earn the Weekly's endorsement, said Weekly senior writer Jim Nintzel.

A drawing at the Capitol on Tuesday clarified in what order those names will appear on the ballots, and raised some questions about whether the long list of unknown names could be taxing on voters.

On the Democratic side, Barack Obama will be the fifth name on the ballot, followed by John Edwards at No. 6. Hillary Clinton will be listed 16th, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson came in right after Whitehouse at No. 2 on the ballot.

For the Republicans, Rudy Giuliani will be listed at No. 24. Mitt Romney grabbed the No. 3 spot, with Fred Thompson right behind at No. 4. Ron Paul took the No. 8 spot; Mike Huckabee came in at No. 11; and Arizona Sen. John McCain landed at No. 16.

Tucsonan Charles Skelley, a retired engineer participating in Project White House, will be a listed at No. 7 on the Republican ballot, before Paul, Huckabee and McCain. He might not be appearing on a stage with the top-tier candidates anytime soon, but Skelley says his candidacy is legitimate.

"I drew up a platform where I solve most of the problems the country faces," Skelley said. "I've solved Social Security, I've solved the trade deficit and a few other things, and I don't see any of the other candidates proposing solutions."

Also running as a Republican: Michael P. Shaw, who says he's running to represent "the hood and the God of Israel." Shaw will be listed at No. 6 on the GOP ballot.

The ease of getting on the ballot wasn't favored by everyone at the public event.

Lisa James, a Republican activist who is supporting Giuliani, said at least her candidate's name will be easy to spot — it's last.

Still, with candidates for state government required to jump through more hoops to get on the ballot than a candidate for president of the United States of America, James said the process needs reform.

"Personally, I would think that our Legislature should look at addressing that," she said.

But Nintzel said the long list of candidates should be viewed as a positive thing.

"I think it's a wonderful opportunity to really get people engaged in the democratic process," Nintzel said. "A lot of people have dreamed of running for president for a long time, and this is really an opportunity for them to do so."

As for the credibility of his candidates, Nintzel said: "The Project White House candidates have just as good a chance at winning the Arizona primary as Ron Paul does."