The Lawrence/Douglas County chapter of Women for Kansas is kicking off election season early with an online forum for candidates of Senate District 19.
Democratic candidates ShaMecha King Simms, Vic Miller and Patrick Schmidt all have filed or are planning to file for the seat, and all will participate in the forum. No Republicans had filed for the seat as of Saturday.
Miller is currently the House Minority Leader, representing House District 58 in Shawnee County. King Simms and Schmidt are political newcomers. All three are residents of Topeka.
Senate District 19 includes much of northern Douglas County and some parts of Lawrence north of Sixth Street. Its southernmost boundary is Sixth Street between Queens Road to the west and Kasold Drive to the east; its boundaries meander north along Kasold and east along Tomahawk Drive to include Deerfield Elementary School. North of Princeton Boulevard, homes west of Arrowhead Drive are included, as are the areas north of Interstate 70 but south and west of the Kansas River, which creates the district’s easternmost boundary. West of Lawrence, the district includes Lecompton and parts of rural Douglas County, and parts of Tecumseh and Topeka in Shawnee County. Click here to see a map; check your districts at myvoteinfo.voteks.org.
The filing deadline is June 3, so additional candidates could still file for the seat.
The candidate forum is set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 11, via Zoom. Those interested in watching should register at this link.
Women for Kansas is a nonpartisan civic organization. Learn more on their website, womenforkansas.org.
The current senator for District 19 is Rick Kloos, a Berryton Republican, but the district boundaries have changed with 2022 redistricting. He has filed to run for Senate District 3, which includes parts of southern and western Lawrence and Douglas County. Dena Sattler, of Topeka, has filed to run as a Democrat for District 3.
Key election dates
Douglas County voters can take care of their voter registration, updates and ballot requests at ksvotes.org. Check your districts at myvoteinfo.voteks.org.
• Deadline to file to run for office: noon Monday, June 3. Click here for more information.
• To change your party affiliation to vote in the Aug. 6, 2024 primary election: noon Monday, June 3
• To register, or update your registration, to vote on Aug. 6: Tuesday, July 16
• To request an advance voting mail ballot for the Aug. 6 primary: Tuesday, July 30
More election info: LawrenceKSTimes.com/Election2024
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