The Lawrence Times will aggregate information about upcoming candidate forums and post the times, dates, places and hosts here.
When a forum has passed, if there is a recording available, we’ll also link to it from this page. This page will be updated as new information becomes available.
• Jump to past city commission forums
• Jump to past school board forums
See the rest of our election coverage at this link.
Know of a forum we should list here? Great! Please let us know by emailing us at hello (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com.
Last update: 8:12 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26
Key voting dates:
• The deadline to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 12. (Visit ksvotes.org to learn more)
• Advance voting begins Wednesday, Oct. 13. You can request a ballot via ksvotes.org.
• The deadline to request an advance ballot to be mailed to you is Tuesday, Oct. 26.
• Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 2.
Need help? Check out this awesome page of voting resources from the Lawrence Public Library.
Lawrence Times forum coverage:
Lucie Krisman / The Lawrence Times
Lawrence City Commission candidates talk economic development at Chamber’s forum
In between questions about economic issues in Lawrence, such as childcare, local purchasing policy, and the Downtown Master Plan, City Commission candidates explained what role they thought the commission should have in the business community in Wednesday’s forum, hosted by The Chamber of Lawrence.
Tricia Masenthin/The Lawrence Times
Past City Commission candidate forums:
• 8-9 a.m. (doors at 7:45 a.m.) Wednesday, Oct. 13 at Maceli’s, 1031 New Hampshire St.
Host: The Chamber of Lawrence. Our article: Available here. Recording: Available here.
• 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, via Zoom
Host: Douglas County Democrats. Moderator: Natalie Yoza. Our article: Available here. Full recording: Available here.
• 10 a.m. – noon Saturday, Oct. 2 at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St.
Topic: Arts, Culture and Creative Industries. Our article: Available here. Recording: Available here.
• 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 29: Lawrence NAACP 2021 City Commission Forum
Our article: Available here. Recording: Available here.
• 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 22: Downtown Lawrence Inc. Candidate Forum
In person at Abe & Jake’s Landing, 8 E. Sixth St., or via Zoom.
Our article: Available here.
• 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19 via Zoom
Community Partners Candidate “Picnic” and Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Lawrence/Douglas County: Lawrence City Commission and Lawrence school board candidates will introduce themselves, then participate in a “speed dating”-style forum, rotating between breakout rooms in Zoom for about four minutes at a time.
Note: The Times elected not to write about this forum because the candidate’s stump speeches have been covered time and again, and the breakout rooms — though fun and fast-paced — would not have allowed us to give each candidate equivalent space in an article.
• 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 28 at the Lied Center Pavilion, 1600 Stewart Drive
Host: Lead Horse LLC, as part of Lead Horse Open II; Moderator: Freddy Gipp.
Topic: Ways to improve our Native American community
More info: Facebook event page; Lead Horse LLC website
• 1 p.m. Saturday, July 10 via Zoom
Host: NAACP Lawrence, Kansas Branch
More info: Will be held via Zoom and streamed on Facebook live on the Lawrence Kansas Branch NAACP Facebook page. Register to watch on Zoom at this link or watch on the Facebook event page.
Recording: Available here. Our article: Available here.
• 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Saturday, June 26 at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St.
Host: Douglas County Democrats; Moderator: Andrew Lee. Candidate meet and greet from 9:30 – 10; forum 10 – 11:30.
Recording: Available here.
More info: Facebook event page
Past Lawrence school board candidate forums:
• 11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 9: Lawrence Education Association general election forum
Gave candidates an opportunity to address topics that include budget issues, lobbying efforts, COVID protocols and specific duties of school board members. Our article: Available here. Full recording: Available here.
• 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 6, via Zoom
Host: Douglas County Democrats. Moderator: Phillip Wrigley. Our article: Available here. Recording: Available here.
• 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30: Lawrence NAACP 2021 School Board Forum
Our article: Available here. Recording: Available here.
• 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19 via Zoom
Community Partners Candidate “Picnic” and Forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Lawrence/Douglas County: Lawrence City Commission and Lawrence school board candidates will introduce themselves, then participate in a “speed dating”-style forum, rotating between breakout rooms in Zoom for about four minutes at a time.
Note: The Times elected not to write about this forum because the candidate’s stump speeches have been covered time and again, and the breakout rooms — though fun and fast-paced — would not have allowed us to give each candidate equivalent space in an article.
• 5:30 p.m. Sept. 1, 2021: Lawrence Public Library school board candidate town hall
Recording: Available here. Our precede: Available here.
• 5-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 13 in Free State High School’s auditorium, 4700 Overland Drive
Co-hosts: Lawrence Education Association and Personnel Association of Lawrence
More info: Masks are required for those who attend in person. A livestream will be available via the LEA Facebook page.
Recording: Available here. Our article: Available here.
• 9:30-11:30 a.m. Saturday, July 10 at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St.
Host: Douglas County Democrats
More info: Meet candidates in the lobby from 9:30-10 a.m.; forum will be in the auditorium from 10-11:30. In person and livestreaming at this link. Up to 130 people may attend in person. Find the Facebook event page at this link.
Recording: Available here. Our article: Available here.
• 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 8, via Zoom
Host: NAACP Lawrence, Kansas Branch
More info: Will be held via Zoom and streamed live on Facebook on the Lawrence Kansas Branch NAACP Facebook page. Register to watch on Zoom at this link, or watch on the Facebook event page.
Recording: Available here. Our article: Available here.
• Wednesday, July 7 at Morningstar Church
Host: Called to Greatness
Recording: Available here.
Note: This forum was added to this list on July 11. The Times didn’t find out about it until it had already passed. If you know of any upcoming forums that aren’t on this list, please let us know by emailing us at hello (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com! Thank you!
Upcoming Lawrence City Commission candidate forums:
• • •
Upcoming Lawrence school board candidate forums:
Know of any forums coming up? Please let us know! Email hello (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com
See more Lawrence Times coverage of the 2021 city elections here.
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