Post updated at 11:03 a.m. Monday, May 27:

Just more than a week remains for people to throw their hats into the ring for a big election year. The Douglas County Commission is adding two seats; every seat in the Legislature is up for grabs; and the top prosecutor job is on the ballot.

The deadline to file for office — or to withdraw from a race — is noon Monday, June 3.

The deadline is also noon Monday, June 3 for voters who wish to change their party affiliation in order to vote in the Tuesday, Aug. 6 primary election. That election could essentially decide some of the races if no one from an opposing party files for a seat by the deadline.

Douglas County voters can take care of their voter registration, updates and ballot requests at ksvotes.org. 

Here’s a look at who has filed as of Friday afternoon for some of the key seats in the Lawrence and Douglas County areas. Much more election coverage will come once the filing deadline passes, and we’ll prioritize races with primary elections first.

Before we dive in, it could be helpful to check your voter info at myvoteinfo.voteks.org to make sure you know which districts you’re in. A lot of districts have changed significantly since the 2020 election and even since 2022.

The new Douglas County Commission districts in particular get a little confusing. Here’s a broad view of what they look like:

Races that will have primary elections on Aug. 6

Douglas County District Attorney

The race for Douglas County district attorney, the top prosecutor countywide, is one of the biggest on the ballot this year.

Incumbent Suzanne Valdez will face Tonda Hill, currently a prosecutor in Wyandotte County, and Dakota Loomis, a Lawrence defense attorney, in the Democratic primary.

No Republicans had filed for the race yet as of time of publication.

Valdez was elected in 2020, winning the Democratic primary against two other candidates including the longtime incumbent former DA, Charles Branson. Branson held the position for 16 years without facing a challenger in primary or general elections.

Voter information may refer to the DA’s “district” — it is Kansas’ Seventh Judicial District, which only includes Douglas County. Put simply, every registered Democrat in Douglas County will have this race on their primary ballot, and the race will ultimately be on everyone’s ballot in the general election.

Douglas County Commission District 2

Incumbent Douglas County Commissioner Shannon Reid will face an opponent in the Democratic primary: Longtime Lawrence City Commissioner Lisa Larsen. Both live in Lawrence.

Reid was elected to the seat in 2020 after an extremely close election against former incumbent Nancy Thellman. She won by just five votes. In her day job, she’s court advocacy coordinator for the Willow Domestic Violence Center.

Larsen was selected by the 2015 Lawrence City Commission to fill the seat vacated by Jeremy Farmer’s resignation. She was reelected in 2017 and 2021, and her current city commission term runs through 2025. Larsen has retired from a 30-year professional career as an environmental geologist, running her own consulting firm for 22 years.

No Republicans had filed for the seat as of publication time.

The boundaries of District 2 have also changed since the 2020 election. Douglas County voters in November 2022 voted to expand the commission to five seats from three.

Rough boundaries of the second district are East 1000 Road to the west; the county line to the north, including all of North Lawrence; and East 1700 Road to the west. The southern boundary dips to include some portions of the county around North 1700 Road, then approximately follows Interstate 70; near Iowa Street, it expands south to West 19th Street in some places, then zigzags north as it approaches the east, ending up at East 11th Street. The district includes most of East Lawrence, the University of Kansas campus, Old West Lawrence, the Pinkney neighborhood, North Michigan Street and more.

See a zoomable map of the district at this link.

Douglas County Commission District 3

Incumbent Douglas County Commissioner Karen Willey, a Willow Springs Township Democrat representing the third commission district, does not yet face a challenger.

However, Republicans John Landon, of rural Lawrence, and Pam McDermott, of Lawrence, have filed for the seat and will face off in the primary on Aug. 6.

Willey lost the 2020 Democratic primary for the seat, but she was selected by Douglas County Democratic precinct committeepeople to fill the seat in August 2022 after former commissioner Shannon Portillo stepped down to move out of state. Willey, currently the chair of the commission, is an entrepreneur, and in her current day job she works as a nonprofit consultant.

Landon is director of the Shawnee County Weed Department and former volunteer firefighter for the Kanwaka and Wakarusa fire departments, according to his Facebook page.

McDermott won the 2020 Republican primary over Ronald Thacker but lost to Portillo in the November 2020 general election. She is a founder and full-time employee of Morning Star Church, according to her website, currently as the church’s community life director.

The boundaries of District 3 have changed since the 2020 election. Douglas County voters in November 2022 voted to expand the commission to five seats from three.

District 3 includes roughly the western half of unincorporated Douglas County. Its north, south and west boundaries reach the county lines. The district includes a portion of northwestern Lawrence, with part of its eastern boundary north of town along East 1000 (Queens) Road. The eastern boundary expands as far east as Stone Meadow Drive and Crossgate Drive in some places, roughly between Harvard Road and West 27th Street. South of North 900 Road, the eastern boundary heads south along East 1296 Road and East 1250 Road.

See a zoomable map of the district at this link.

Douglas County Commission District 4

Douglas County Commission District 4 was created as a result of voters in November 2022 deciding to expand the commission to five seats from three.

So far, three candidates have filed for the seat, and there will be a Democratic primary.

Gene Dorsey, of Lawrence, and Mike Kelso, of Eudora, both have filed for District 4. Steve Jacob, of Lawrence, is running as a Libertarian. Libertarians will appear on the November 2024 general election ballots.

Dorsey spent his 35-year career working for international corporations, has managed the preparation of multimillion-dollar budgets and is currently a member of the Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center Governing Board, according to his website.

Kelso is a member of the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission and has held various other leadership positions, according to his website. In his day job, he’s a manager of applications engineering for Epiq, according to his LinkedIn page.

Jacob ran for Douglas County Commission District 1 in 2022 and lost to incumbent Patrick Kelly, but within the new district boundaries, he is running for the District 4 seat.

The district includes Eudora and much of eastern Douglas County, and it reaches west into portions of Lawrence as if it’s pointing a finger. Its northern and eastern boundaries extend as far as the county line in some places. Its western boundary zigzags through east-central Lawrence, as far west as Iowa Street for a short stretch between West 19th and 23rd streets. In town, its northern boundary hits around North 1550 Road/East 11th Street, running west just past Haskell Avenue and approximately to Burroughs Creek Trail before dipping south. Its southern boundary in Lawrence runs along 23rd Street to Massachusetts Street, then heads south to East 30th Terrace and East 31st Street and includes most of Prairie Park neighborhood. At East 1800 Road, the boundary heads south to North 900 Road; at East 2000 Road, it heads further south to North 700 Road.

See a zoomable map of the district at this link.

Kansas Senate District 2

Longtime Sen. Marci Francisco, a Lawrence Democrat, will face a challenger in current Democratic Rep. Christina Haswood in the Aug. 6 primary.

Francisco has represented Lawrence in the Kansas Senate since 2005. Haswood has represented Lawrence in the Kansas House of Representatives since 2021.

No Republicans had filed for the seat as of Friday.

Senate District 2 changed with redistricting in 2022. It previously contained a large portion of Jefferson County but now includes only Douglas County: most of Lawrence and parts of the Grant and Wakarusa townships. It includes most of North Lawrence and all of downtown, central, southeastern and eastern Lawrence. Some parts of its western boundaries extend as far as Wakarusa Drive in Lawrence, but it follows along Kasold Drive in other places. Its southern boundary extends to Kansas Highway 10 west of Iowa Street and West 31st Street east of Iowa, and its easternmost boundary is East 1810 Road.

See a zoomable map of the district at this link.

Kansas House District 10

The district currently represented by Christina Haswood is now contested.

Democratic candidates Zachary Hawkins and Suzanne Wikle, both of Lawrence, have filed for the seat. No Republicans had filed as of Friday.

Wikle has worked in health care advocacy and pushed to expand access to health care for Kansas kids, including seven years working with Kansas Action for Children, according to her website.

Kansas House District 10 includes much of Lawrence between East 15th Street to the north and the Wakarusa River to the south. The bulk of the district spans from East 1600 Road to the east to Iowa Street to the west, but it also extends as far west as Kasold Drive in some places. Click here to see a map.

Kansas House District 46

The seat held by Rep. Dennis “Boog” Highberger since 2015 is up for grabs following the legislator’s retirement, and so far, the Democratic primary is a three-way race.

Logan Ginavan, Brittany Hall and Brooklynne Mosley, all Lawrence Democrats, have filed for the seat.

Ginavan is studying political science at the University of Kansas and interning at the Kansas House of Representatives, according to his website.

Hall, a citizen of the Shawnee Tribe, is president of the Haskell National Board of Regents, according to her website.

Mosley is a U.S. Air Force veteran and community organizer who works with GPS Impact, according to her website.

House District 46 covers roughly the northeastern quadrant of Lawrence, including downtown, KU’s campus and parts of North Lawrence. It is not a perfect square, but its northernmost boundary is Interstate 70; its westernmost boundary is Iowa Street; its southern border dips to 19th Street and continues east on 15th Street; and its eastern boundary runs approximately along Lindenwood Lane and along North Ninth Street in North Lawrence. Click here to see a map.

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Kansas Senate District 19

Three Democrats are running for Kansas Senate District 19: Vic Miller, currently the House Minority Leader, representing House District 58 in Shawnee County; ShaMecha King Simms has also filed, and Patrick Schmidt plans to file. All three are residents of Topeka. No Republicans have filed for the seat.

This district includes much of northern Douglas County and some parts of Lawrence north of Sixth Street. See more details at this link.

None of these candidates got back to us with photos, but the Lawrence/Douglas County chapter of Women For Kansas held a forum with all three candidates on May 11. That can be viewed on YouTube at this link.

Kansas Senate District 9

Republican Sen. Beverly Gossage, of Eudora, has filed for reelection. She will face a primary challenger in Bryan Zesiger, of Lawrence.

In addition, Normal Mallicoat, an Olathe Democrat, also filed for the seat on Thursday.

Kansas Senate District 9 spans parts of Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties. In Douglas County, it includes Baldwin City and Eudora, as well as parts of Eudora and Palmyra townships. A squarish portion of the district includes Douglas County from East 1400 Road to the county line, and from North 900 Road south to Woodson Road. Click here to see a map.

Kansas House District 42

Rep. Lance Neelly, a Tonganoxie Republican, has filed for reelection. Mike Stieben has also filed for the seat as a Republican.

Neelly has held the seat since 2021. Stieben, of Tonganoxie, is currently a Leavenworth County Commissioner.

District 42 is tall and spans parts of Douglas, Jefferson and Leavenworth counties. It includes parts of Eudora and the far eastern side of Lawrence, plus parts of Grant and Wakarusa townships. Click here for a map of the district.

Races with no primary election so far

Douglas County Commission District 5

Another new Douglas County Commission district does not yet require a primary election, though three candidates have filed.

They include Nicholas Matthews, a Lawrence Democrat; Rich Lorenzo, a rural Lawrence Republican; and Kirsten Kuhn, a Eudora Libertarian. Libertarians will appear on the November 2024 general election ballots.

Douglas County Commission District 5 includes a portion of south-central Lawrence, reaching as far north as Clinton Parkway. It spans south and east to the county lines in some areas and includes Baldwin City. Its northernmost boundary reaches Clinton Parkway from Crossgate Drive to the west to Vermont Street to the east. Its westernmost boundary north of North 900 Road is East 1000 Road, and then it includes much of the county east of East 1296 Road and East 1250 Road, including U.S. 59 Highway. Its boundaries span to the eastern county line from the southern county line north to North 700 road, then follows East 2000 Road to North 900 Road and goes north to East 23rd Street to include a portion of far eastern Lawrence near the Kansas Highway 10 and East 23rd Street interchange.

See a zoomable map of the district at this link.

Kansas House District 5

Incumbent Rep. Carrie Barth, a rural Douglas County Republican, has filed for reelection.

She faces a general election challenger in Henry Johns, a rural Lawrence Democrat, but so far a primary will not be needed.

House District 5 is almost a Maryland-esque shape that includes parts of Douglas, Franklin, Johnson and Miami counties.

In Douglas County, it includes Baldwin City and parts of Marion, Palmyra and Willow Springs townships. Click here to see a map.

Kansas Senate District 3

In the third Kansas Senate District, Rep. Rick Kloos, of Berryton, currently representing House District 19, has filed for election as a Republican.

He faces a general election challenger in Dena Sattler, a Topeka Democrat.

Kansas Senate District 3 includes parts of Osage, Douglas, Franklin and Shawnee counties.

In the southwestern portion of Douglas County, District 3 includes parts of Clinton, Kanwaka, Marion, Wakarusa and Willow Springs townships, plus parts of Lawrence west of Kasold Drive, south of Kansas Highway 10 and as far east as East 1800 Road. See a map at this link.

Kansas House District 117

Republican Rep. Adam Turk, of Shawnee, has filed for reelection. He will face Bill Hammond, a Lawrence Democrat, in the November general election, but thus far neither candidate has a primary election opponent.

Neither had responded to our requests for a photo as of publication time.

The district is shaped in a way that almost looks like someone spilled ink on the map. It includes parts of Lawrence and Eudora as well as parts of Eudora, Palmyra, Wakarusa and Willow Springs townships in Douglas County, then squiggles east into Johnson County. Click here for a map.

Uncontested races

In Douglas County

Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew, Register of Deeds Kent Brown, Sheriff Jay Armbrister and Treasurer Adam Rains are all incumbents, all running as Democrats and all unopposed thus far.

At the state level

Here’s a list of the races for state-level seats that represent parts of Lawrence and Douglas County that are uncontested as of Friday:

Kansas House of Representatives

• Kansas House District 43: Incumbent Rep. Bill Sutton, a Gardner Republican who has served in the house since 2012, has filed for reelection.

District 43 spans a portion of southern Douglas County and parts of Johnson County. In Douglas County, it includes part of Palmyra Township. Its boundaries within the county are North 700 Road to the north, East 2100 Road to the west and North 200 Road / U.S. 56 Highway to the south. (Click here for a map.)

• Kansas House District 44: Incumbent Rep. Barbara Ballard, a Lawrence Democrat who has represented the city in the Statehouse since 1993, has filed for reelection.

A squarish shape comprises the center of District 44, between Sixth Street to the north, Wakarusa Drive to the west, Clinton Parkway to the south and Iowa Street to the east. Additional areas to the northeast, as far north as Peterson Road, and to the south and southwest, as far south as the South Lawrence Trafficway, and parts of Wakarusa Township are also included in the district. (Click here for a map of the district.)

• Kansas House District 45: Incumbent Rep. Mike Amyx, a Lawrence Democrat, has filed for reelection.

The district includes parts of western and northwestern Lawrence and much of northern Douglas County, including parts of Grant, Kanwaka, Lecompton and Wakarusa townships. (Click here for a map of the district.)

• Kansas House District 47: Incumbent Rep. Ronald Ellis, of Meriden, has filed for reelection as a Republican.

The district includes parts of southwestern Lawrence and Clinton, Kanwaka, Lecompton and Wakarusa townships. (Click here for a map of the district.)

Kansas State Board of Education

• Kansas State Board of Education District 4: Kris Meyer, a Democrat from De Soto, has filed for the seat. Incumbent Ann Mah has not yet filed for reelection.

District 4 includes parts of western Lawrence and most of Douglas County; see an interactive map at this link.

• Kansas State Board of Education District 6: Beryl Ann New, a former associate principal at Lawrence High School and a Democrat from Topeka, has filed for the seat. Incumbent Deena Horst has not yet filed for reelection.

District 6 includes most of Lawrence and part of northern Douglas County; see an interactive map at this link.

Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.

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