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It’s Tuesday. Vote!

Weather: Sunny and dry; perfect voting weather.

Alternate-side parking: In effect until March 6 (Ash Wednesday).

Polls are open until 9 p.m. in the special election for New York City’s public advocate, the job Letitia James vacated when she became the state attorney general.

Seventeen people want the role. Here’s a cheat sheet on the race.

Who’s running?

Here’s a list.

Why does it matter?

Civic pride! If that’s not enough, consider this: The office has a budget of $3.5 million, can introduce legislation and can hold public hearings. The public advocate also temporarily replaces the mayor if he leaves office early (Mayor de Blasio has not ruled out a 2020 presidential run).

The role also offers an opportunity to diversify the power-holders at City Hall: White men hold New York City’s top posts. Some public advocate hopefuls want to change that.

Furthermore, three of the four previous public advocates ran for higher office: Ms. James, Mr. de Blasio and Mark Green, who fell short in his mayoral bid.

What should I know about the front-runners?

• Jumaane Williams, the Brooklyn councilman who lost the lieutenant governor’s race in November, was endorsed by The Times.

He wants to put New York City Housing Authority on the public advocate’s “worst landlords list,” and had opposed Mr. de Blasio’s housing plan, arguing it didn’t do enough to create units for low-income New Yorkers.

• Michael Blake, an assemblyman from the Bronx who is also the vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, wanted the Amazon deal reworked, not scrapped.

He worked for the Obama administration, and also earned money as a consultant while in public office. He wants to implement a “flip tax” on homes bought and sold within a year.

• Daniel O’Donnell, an assemblyman from Manhattan, was an original sponsor of the Marriage Equality Act. He wants to “downzone” neighborhoods and see more transparency from the New York City Housing Authority.

• Melissa Mark-Viverito, the former City Council speaker, has focused on criminal justice reform and wants to use revenue from legalized marijuana to fund mass transit. She has highlighted racial and gender disparity in elected offices.

• Nomiki Konst was a delegate for Bernie Sanders in 2016, and she wants a $30 minimum wage. Her background as a self-described “award-winning investigative journalist” and “activist” has raised eyebrows.

• Eric Ulrich, a councilman from Queens, backed the deal for an Amazon headquarters in Queens, and that may help him solidify votes from residents who are upset about the plan’s collapse. He said he’ll be Mr. de Blasio’s “worst nightmare.”

• Ron Kim, an assemblyman from Queens, was an Amazon opponent who wants to eliminate “taxpayer giveaways” to big companies and cancel student debt. He once tackled a mugger, and has mentioned it in campaign mailings.

• Rafael Espinal, a councilman from Brooklyn, is seeking to legalize electric bikes and scooters, and require that new cars sold in the city after 2030 are electric. He wants to require schools to have a greenhouse or urban-farming classroom.

What separates the candidates?

Most of them are progressive Democrats who have distinguished themselves, in part, by prioritizing different goals.

[Here are seven factors that will help decide who wins.]

What’s with the party names?

Technically, the race is nonpartisan, and candidates had to create party names. But “Fix the M.T.A.,” “Pay Folks More” and “Unite Immigrants” are not subtle clues about their politics.

Am I registered to vote?

Check this website.

Where do I vote?

Find your polling place here.

How long will the winner serve?

Funny you should ask. Only 10 months. There will be primaries in June, and a general election in November will determine who serves the remainder of Ms. James’s term, which ends in 2021.

From The Times

• Manhole fires and burst pipes: Winter wreaks havoc on New York City’s underground.

• Unsafe: An art show was canceled because the Manhattan pier where its sister show was going to be held was deemed structurally unsound.

• Manafort’s problem: Manhattan prosecutors are preparing state criminal charges against Paul Manafort, in an effort to ensure he will face prison if he is pardoned for his federal crimes.

• El Chapo’s jury: One juror said the jury consumed news about the case during the trial. Defense lawyers are crying foul.

• Abuse list: It is easy to be included in a registry of people accused of mistreating children, and ramifications can last for years.

[Want more news from New York and around the region? Check out our full coverage.]

The mini crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.

What we’re reading

• Background check: The man set to oversee the New York City Housing Authority once resigned from a white-collar fraud case after he was accused of a conflict of interest and running up fees. [The City]

• More ads in your subway: The M.T.A. will install video screens inside train cars to raise ad revenue. [Daily News]

• Busted: A subway escalator’s stairs ripped apart during rush hour. [New York Post]

• Black Women in Comedy Festival: The inaugural event will begin Thursday, in Brooklyn. [amNew York]

• Windy City: Monday’s heavy winds were blamed for damage throughout New York. [NY1]

Coming up today

A discussion about the politics of reality shows, including “Love & Hip Hop” and “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” at the College of Staten Island. 2:30 p.m. [Free]

Eva Victor and Taylor Garron, writers for the feminist satirical website Reductress, will host a comedy show at Caveat on the Lower East Side. 7 p.m. [$12]

How well do you know Sophia, Blanche, Rose and Dorothy? Test your knowledge at “Golden Girls” trivia night at Stone Creek Bar and Lounge in Kips Bay. 8 p.m. [Free]

Learn about the history of Israeli cuisine while making falafel at a cooking workshop in Yorkville. 6 p.m. [$20]

— Iman Stevenson

Events are subject to change, so double-check before heading out. For more events, see the going-out guides from The Times’s culture pages.

And finally: AOC, the comic

This comic book, featuring Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will be published in May, by Devil’s Due Comics.

The publisher, Josh Blaylock, said the 44-page book will feature stories from various artists about Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and other freshman members of Congress.

“I see a fresh new body of congresspeople coming into the system that are asking the classic question of, ‘Why are things being done this way?’” Mr. Blaylock said in an interview.

“AOC is looking at core issues I’ve never seen either side address,” he said. “Comics are an ideal platform” to discuss those issues.

When asked, Mr. Blaylock said he did not communicate with the congresswoman about the comic book. “I’m sure it was a surprise to them,” he said.

The artist who drew the covers of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Tim Seeley, said drawing her was easy, in part because she was easily recognizable.

But you don’t need to draw politicians to be political. Mr. Seeley drew the cover for “Dark Red,” coming out next month, which he said is a story about “a vampire in Trump country.”

It’s Tuesday: Seriously, go vote.

Metropolitan Diary: Cheap black gloves

Dear Diary:

When I was 17, I spent the winter running errands for a director at La MaMa on East Fourth Street.

I was born in New York City but had grown up states away, and I never felt like less of a New Yorker than the year I moved back.

“Would you run out to Duane Reade to get the rest of this list?” the director asked one afternoon as we folded programs near a paraffin heater.

“Sure thing,” I said. “But what is Duane Reade?”

She laughed as I put on my coat.

“You don’t have gloves?” she said. “Here, take mine.”

They were perfect, cheap and stretchy and plain black. They were the kind of gloves you would buy if you forgot your own better ones at home, the kind you lend to a stranger.

I wore those gloves all February, until someone else needed them and I gave them away.

Almost 10 years later, I was working 20 blocks north as an editorial assistant in the Flatiron district.

My boss rolled into the office one day wearing a scarf I had never seen before. It suited him.

“Someone gave it to me on the street,” he said. “I must have looked cold because at the next crosswalk, someone gave me these.”

He held out his hands. He was wearing those same cheap, stretchy, black gloves.

— Kirsten Reach

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