Challengers have filed to run in the primaries for two of the three Douglas County Commission seats that will be on voters’ ballots this year, and the third incumbent will face a challenger in the general election.
Noon Monday was the deadline to file to run in the 2026 election.
The seats of Commissioners Patrick Kelly (Democrat, District 1), Gene Dorsey (Democrat, District 4) and Erica Anderson (Democrat, District 5) will all be on Douglas County voters’ ballots, and all three incumbents are seeking reelection.
The District 2 and 3 seats, currently held by Commissioners Shannon Reid and Karen Willey, will not be on the ballot again until 2028.
You can check your voter info at myvoteinfo.voteks.org to make sure you know which districts you’re and determine whether one of these races will be on your ballot.
Here’s a map of the districts:
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District 1 is the only district that is entirely within Lawrence city limits, and it includes much of northern and central Lawrence west of Iowa Street.
Kelly was first elected to the seat in 2018 and reelected in 2022. He filed to run for the seat again on April 29.
Milton Scott, a Lawrence Democrat, filed on Friday to run for the District 1 seat.
No other candidate filed by the noon deadline on Monday, so the seat will likely be decided in the primary.
Voters in the 2022 election opted to expand the commission to five seats from three, creating the seats that Dorsey and Anderson won in November 2024. They were sworn into office in January 2025.
Ethan Spurling, a Eudora Democrat, filed March 13 to run for the District 4 seat that Dorsey currently holds. Dorsey filed to run again three days later.
District 4 includes Eudora and much of eastern Douglas County, and it reaches west into portions of Lawrence as if it’s pointing a finger.
No other candidates filed for that seat, either, so it will also likely be decided in the primary.
No Republicans or Democrats filed for the District 5 seat that Anderson currently holds.
However, Kirsten Kuhn, a Baldwin City Libertarian, was nominated for the seat by her party on May 1. Anderson filed to run again on the same day. That race will be decided in the Nov. 3 general election.
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.
More offices on the ballot
Many statewide seats are also on the ballot this year, including Kansas governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, commissioner of insurance and several seats in the House of Representatives. There will also be ballot questions on the primary and general election ballots.
Federal offices, including the Senate seat currently held by Republican Roger Marshall and the House of Representatives seats held by Republicans Tracey Mann and Derek Schmidt, are also on the ballot.
We’ll have much more coverage of the election in the coming days, weeks and months.
Here are some key deadlines for voters:
Douglas County voters can register to vote, update their registration or request an advance ballot to vote by mail at KSVotes.org.
• Register (or update your registration) to vote in the primary by Tuesday, July 14
• Request a mail ballot if desired by Tuesday, July 28
• Register (or update your registration) to vote in the general by Tuesday, Oct. 13
• Request a mail ballot if desired by Tuesday, Oct. 27
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Days, Tuesdays, Aug. 4 and Nov. 3.
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This post is by the Lawrence Times news team.
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More coverage: Election 2026
Jacob Rice / Lawrence Times
