Voter registration has reopened in Kansas following Tuesday’s election.
Registration closes three weeks ahead of each election. It reopens the day after the polls close, though, Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said.
The Douglas County elections office is still processing ballots this week, and the election results won’t be official until after the canvass. That’s set for 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 18 and open to the public at the elections office, 711 W. 23rd St. in Lawrence.
“While a voter can submit an application starting on that day, we usually don’t process any registrations until after the canvass so it does not impact any of the numbers for certification,” Shew said.
But that still means applications filled out this week will be processed well before the next election. People who are already registered to vote can also update their names, addresses and/or party affiliations if needed.
Unless a special election is called in the near future, Lawrence’s next election will be for city commission and school board positions. The general election will be Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. If a primary election is required, that will be held Tuesday, Aug. 5. The deadline to file to run for office will be noon Monday, June 2, 2025.
Although local elections tend to see lower voter turnout than national ones, they are the positions that generally have the greatest direct impact on our day-to-day lives.
Mayor Bart Littlejohn’s and Lawrence City Commissioner Lisa Larsen’s terms will expire in December 2025. As voters this week rejected the form of government change, those two will be the only commission seats on the ballot. Lawrence school board seats currently held by Kelly Jones, Bob Byers and Shannon Kimball will also be on the ballot in 2025.
Get registered
Douglas County voters can get registered quickly online at KSVotes.org. They can also register via a paper form at the historic courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., or the elections office at 711 W. 23rd St., near 23rd and Louisiana streets.
To register to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old on or before Election Day.
Voters who have been convicted of a felony are eligible to register to vote if they have completed their sentence and any post-release supervision. That includes voters who have to register as offenders, as long as their sentences are complete.
People who don’t have a permanent address can register to vote using one of the following:
• Lawrence Community Shelter, 3655 E. 25th St., Lawrence, KS 66046
• Homeless Resource Center, 944 Kentucky St., Lawrence, KS 66044
Learn more about your voting rights from the ACLU of Kansas via their website at this link (available in English and Spanish).
The state also offers an online voter registration application at kdor.ks.gov/Apps/VoterReg.
Voter registration will end Tuesday, July 15 ahead of the primary election and Tuesday, Oct. 14 ahead of the 2025 general election.
Find much more information about voting and registering on the Douglas County clerk’s elections website at dgcoks.gov/county-clerk/voting-and-elections.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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