One week remains until Election Day in Lawrence; here’s what you need to know

Early voting is underway in Lawrence, and one week remains until primary Election Day. 

The Tuesday, Aug. 1 primary will narrow down some of the school board candidates and eliminate some candidates running for Lawrence City Commission. 

The election is nonpartisan, so any registered voters, including unaffiliated voters, may cast ballots in this election.

What’s on the ballot?

Lawrence city commissioners and Lawrence school board members make some of the decisions that reach closest to home.

For instance, commissioners decide on things such as homelessness programs, affordable housing and the recent safe haven ordinance; school board members vote on things such as student discipline programs; teacher, staff and superintendent pay; district budget cuts; and school closures.

Three Lawrence City Commission seats are on the ballot. The eight candidates running for those seats will be narrowed down to the top 6 in the Aug. 1 primary; those six will then face off in the Nov. 7 general election.

There are nine candidates running for four-year terms on the Lawrence school board; all of them will advance to the Nov. 7 general election. However, three other candidates are actively running to fill the remaining two years of the term of Andrew Nussbaum, who resigned in 2022.

Five total seats on the school board will be filled in the November general election.

They’re all terms that are expiring: Incumbent school board member Carole Cadue-Blackwood is running for another four-year term, and Past President Shannon Kimball is running for the remaining two years of Nussbaum’s term. Incumbent GR Gordon-Ross, who was appointed to fill the remainder of the first two years of Nussbaum’s term, is running for a four-year term. Incumbent school board members Erica Hill and Paula Vann are not running for reelection.

Learn more about the candidates in these articles, or check out our coverage of four candidate forums at lawrencekstimes.com/election2023.

How to cast your ballot

Vote by mail

Tuesday (July 25) is the final deadline to request a ballot to be mailed to you. Douglas County voters can do so quickly online via KSVotes.org, or by filling out the application and returning it to the elections office.

Voters who already received their advance ballots should make sure they are postmarked by Election Day to be counted. No stamp is required.

You can also drop your advance ballot in one of these dropboxes anytime until 7 p.m. on Election Day —

• Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. (11th and Mass streets)
• Douglas County Clerk and Elections Office, 711 W. 23rd St. (23rd and Louisiana)
• County Treasurer’s Annex, 2000 W. 31st St., Suite B (31st and Iowa)

— or you can take your ballot to any polling place on Election Day.

Vote early in person

Voters may cast their ballots in person at the Douglas County election headquarters at 711 W. 23rd St., Suite 1. If voting in person, you will need a photo ID.

Here are in-person voting hours up until Election Day:
• Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, July 25-28: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, July 29: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Monday, July 31: 8 a.m. to noon

Vote on Election Day

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 1. If you are in line to vote by 7 p.m., you will be allowed to cast your ballot.

See a full list of polling places at this link. The county elections website notes these polling place changes:
• Voters in Precinct 10 (Burge Union) will be voting at Immanuel Lutheran Church.
• Lawrence school district voters in Precincts 52 and 53 (Eudora City Hall and Eudora Baptist Church) will be voting at Flory Meeting Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
• Lawrence school district voters from Leavenworth County will be voting at Grant Township Community Center.

Double-check your polling place and see a sample ballot by visiting myvoteinfo.voteks.org and inputting your name and date of birth, or you can just type in your address to see where to go to vote.

Find more information about voting in Douglas County on the county’s website.

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