diff --git a/cli/query/query.go b/cli/query/query.go
index 1eb141e3e..2bd29dcc9 100644
--- a/cli/query/query.go
+++ b/cli/query/query.go
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ func queryCandidates(ctx *cli.Context) error {
 		return cli.NewExitError(err, 1)
 	}
 
-	vals, err := c.GetNextBlockValidators()
+	vals, err := c.GetCandidates()
 	if err != nil {
 		return cli.NewExitError(err, 1)
 	}
diff --git a/docs/rpc.md b/docs/rpc.md
index acf02bdf0..e4c3a0876 100644
--- a/docs/rpc.md
+++ b/docs/rpc.md
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ which would yield the response:
 | `getblockhash` |
 | `getblockheader` |
 | `getblockheadercount` |
+| `getcandidates` |
 | `getcommittee` |
 | `getconnectioncount` |
 | `getcontractstate` |
diff --git a/pkg/rpc/client/rpc.go b/pkg/rpc/client/rpc.go
index 835d9c5b3..d08c7d03b 100644
--- a/pkg/rpc/client/rpc.go
+++ b/pkg/rpc/client/rpc.go
@@ -557,7 +557,20 @@ func (c *Client) GetUnclaimedGas(address string) (result.UnclaimedGas, error) {
 	return resp, nil
 }
 
-// GetNextBlockValidators returns the current NEO consensus nodes information and voting status.
+// GetCandidates returns the current list of NEO candidate node with voting data and
+// validator status.
+func (c *Client) GetCandidates() ([]result.Candidate, error) {
+	var (
+		params = request.NewRawParams()
+		resp   = new([]result.Candidate)
+	)
+	if err := c.performRequest("getcandidates", params, resp); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return *resp, nil
+}
+
+// GetNextBlockValidators returns the current NEO consensus nodes information and voting data.
 func (c *Client) GetNextBlockValidators() ([]result.Validator, error) {
 	var (
 		params = request.NewRawParams()
diff --git a/pkg/rpc/client/rpc_test.go b/pkg/rpc/client/rpc_test.go
index 8b2d92854..b0876a479 100644
--- a/pkg/rpc/client/rpc_test.go
+++ b/pkg/rpc/client/rpc_test.go
@@ -940,6 +940,21 @@ var rpcClientTestCases = map[string][]rpcClientTestCase{
 			},
 		},
 	},
+	"getcandidates": {
+		{
+			name: "positive",
+			invoke: func(c *Client) (interface{}, error) {
+				return c.GetCandidates()
+			},
+			serverResponse: `{"id":1,"jsonrpc":"2.0","result":[{"publickey":"02b3622bf4017bdfe317c58aed5f4c753f206b7db896046fa7d774bbc4bf7f8dc2","votes":"0","active":true},{"publickey":"02103a7f7dd016558597f7960d27c516a4394fd968b9e65155eb4b013e4040406e","votes":"0","active":true},{"publickey":"03d90c07df63e690ce77912e10ab51acc944b66860237b608c4f8f8309e71ee699","votes":"0","active":true},{"publickey":"02a7bc55fe8684e0119768d104ba30795bdcc86619e864add26156723ed185cd62","votes":"0","active":true}]}`,
+			result:         func(c *Client) interface{} { return []result.Candidate{} },
+			check: func(t *testing.T, c *Client, uns interface{}) {
+				res, ok := uns.([]result.Candidate)
+				require.True(t, ok)
+				assert.Equal(t, 4, len(res))
+			},
+		},
+	},
 	"getvalidators": {
 		{
 			name: "positive",
@@ -1657,6 +1672,12 @@ var rpcClientErrorCases = map[string][]rpcClientErrorCase{
 				return c.GetUnclaimedGas("")
 			},
 		},
+		{
+			name: "getcandidates_unmarshalling_error",
+			invoke: func(c *Client) (interface{}, error) {
+				return c.GetCandidates()
+			},
+		},
 		{
 			name: "getvalidators_unmarshalling_error",
 			invoke: func(c *Client) (interface{}, error) {
diff --git a/pkg/rpc/response/result/validator.go b/pkg/rpc/response/result/validator.go
index 37862511d..f5aafd5b5 100644
--- a/pkg/rpc/response/result/validator.go
+++ b/pkg/rpc/response/result/validator.go
@@ -1,13 +1,51 @@
 package result
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
+
 	"github.com/nspcc-dev/neo-go/pkg/crypto/keys"
 )
 
-// Validator used for the representation of
-// state.Validator on the RPC Server.
+// Validator is used for the representation of consensus node data in the JSON-RPC
+// protocol.
 type Validator struct {
+	PublicKey keys.PublicKey `json:"publickey"`
+	Votes     int64          `json:"votes"`
+}
+
+// Candidate represents a node participating in the governance elections, it's
+// active when it's a validator (consensus node).
+type Candidate struct {
 	PublicKey keys.PublicKey `json:"publickey"`
 	Votes     int64          `json:"votes,string"`
 	Active    bool           `json:"active"`
 }
+
+type newValidator struct {
+	PublicKey keys.PublicKey `json:"publickey"`
+	Votes     int64          `json:"votes"`
+}
+
+type oldValidator struct {
+	PublicKey keys.PublicKey `json:"publickey"`
+	Votes     int64          `json:"votes,string"`
+}
+
+// UnmarshalJSON implements the json.Unmarshaler interface.
+func (v *Validator) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
+	var nv = new(newValidator)
+	err := json.Unmarshal(data, nv)
+	if err != nil {
+		var ov = new(oldValidator)
+		err := json.Unmarshal(data, ov)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		v.PublicKey = ov.PublicKey
+		v.Votes = ov.Votes
+		return nil
+	}
+	v.PublicKey = nv.PublicKey
+	v.Votes = nv.Votes
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/rpc/response/result/validator_test.go b/pkg/rpc/response/result/validator_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f7ecd4b68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/rpc/response/result/validator_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+package result
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+)
+
+func TestValidatorUnmarshal(t *testing.T) {
+	old := []byte(`{"publickey":"02a7bc55fe8684e0119768d104ba30795bdcc86619e864add26156723ed185cd62","votes":"100500","active":true}`)
+	v := new(Validator)
+	require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal(old, v))
+	require.Equal(t, int64(100500), v.Votes)
+
+	new := []byte(`{"publickey":"02a7bc55fe8684e0119768d104ba30795bdcc86619e864add26156723ed185cd62","votes":42}`)
+	require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal(new, v))
+	require.Equal(t, int64(42), v.Votes)
+
+	bad := []byte(`{"publickey":"02a7bc55fe8684e0119768d104ba30795bdcc86619e864add26156723ed185cd62","votes":"notanumber"}`)
+	require.Error(t, json.Unmarshal(bad, v))
+}
diff --git a/pkg/rpc/server/server.go b/pkg/rpc/server/server.go
index 491a4596b..8436369d8 100644
--- a/pkg/rpc/server/server.go
+++ b/pkg/rpc/server/server.go
@@ -118,6 +118,7 @@ var rpcHandlers = map[string]func(*Server, request.Params) (interface{}, *respon
 	"getblockheader":               (*Server).getBlockHeader,
 	"getblockheadercount":          (*Server).getBlockHeaderCount,
 	"getblocksysfee":               (*Server).getBlockSysFee,
+	"getcandidates":                (*Server).getCandidates,
 	"getcommittee":                 (*Server).getCommittee,
 	"getconnectioncount":           (*Server).getConnectionCount,
 	"getcontractstate":             (*Server).getContractState,
@@ -1538,6 +1539,29 @@ func (s *Server) getUnclaimedGas(ps request.Params) (interface{}, *response.Erro
 	}, nil
 }
 
+// getCandidates returns the current list of candidates with their active/inactive voting status.
+func (s *Server) getCandidates(_ request.Params) (interface{}, *response.Error) {
+	var validators keys.PublicKeys
+
+	validators, err := s.chain.GetNextBlockValidators()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, response.NewRPCError("Can't get next block validators", err.Error())
+	}
+	enrollments, err := s.chain.GetEnrollments()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, response.NewRPCError("Can't get enrollments", err.Error())
+	}
+	var res = make([]result.Candidate, 0)
+	for _, v := range enrollments {
+		res = append(res, result.Candidate{
+			PublicKey: *v.Key,
+			Votes:     v.Votes.Int64(),
+			Active:    validators.Contains(v.Key),
+		})
+	}
+	return res, nil
+}
+
 // getNextBlockValidators returns validators for the next block with voting status.
 func (s *Server) getNextBlockValidators(_ request.Params) (interface{}, *response.Error) {
 	var validators keys.PublicKeys
@@ -1552,10 +1576,12 @@ func (s *Server) getNextBlockValidators(_ request.Params) (interface{}, *respons
 	}
 	var res = make([]result.Validator, 0)
 	for _, v := range enrollments {
+		if !validators.Contains(v.Key) {
+			continue
+		}
 		res = append(res, result.Validator{
 			PublicKey: *v.Key,
 			Votes:     v.Votes.Int64(),
-			Active:    validators.Contains(v.Key),
 		})
 	}
 	return res, nil
diff --git a/pkg/rpc/server/server_test.go b/pkg/rpc/server/server_test.go
index 4ea259de8..27bf5985b 100644
--- a/pkg/rpc/server/server_test.go
+++ b/pkg/rpc/server/server_test.go
@@ -818,6 +818,14 @@ var rpcTestCases = map[string][]rpcTestCase{
 			},
 		},
 	},
+	"getcandidates": {
+		{
+			params: "[]",
+			result: func(*executor) interface{} {
+				return &[]result.Candidate{}
+			},
+		},
+	},
 	"getnextblockvalidators": {
 		{
 			params: "[]",