All registered Kansas voters can cast ballots in the Aug. 4 primary election. Here’s info to help Douglas County voters make informed decisions.
The constitutional amendment on the ballot means that all Kansas voters — including those who are affiliated with any party and those who are independent or unaffiliated — get to vote.
However, registered Democrats and Republicans will have several other choices to make for the primary election. Unaffiliated voters can also declare for a party when voting to receive a ballot from that party, according to the Douglas County clerk’s office.
What’s on my ballot? You can check all the races that will be on your ballot by visiting myvoteinfo.voteks.org/voterview/.
Post last updated at 4:53 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3
Jump to a section:
• How and when you can cast your ballot
— Voter ID and SB 244
— Advance voting
— Voting on Election Day
• Constitutional amendment question
• Douglas County Commission races
• Lawrence-area statehouse races
• Statewide races
• Federal races
• Videos
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How and when you can cast your ballot
Voters need to bring photo ID to cast their ballots in person. See a list of acceptable forms of ID at this link.
Regarding gender markers: Douglas County voters do not need to worry if the gender marker on their driver’s license does not match their appearance.
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County Clerk Jamie Shew said the gender marker is not relevant to ID for voting. Poll workers are trained to look at the name and photo of the person presenting the ID. If there is a question regarding the photo, the person may present an additional ID with a photo to confirm their identity, Shew said. There is also a name discrepancy form that can be filed if there is a difference between name on an ID and voter registration, he said.
In addition, voters who may have received a notice that their license or ID is “invalid” in the wake of the passage of Kansas’ latest anti-transgender bill, SB 244, don’t need to worry. Shew said poll workers are only checking expiration dates on driver’s licenses for voters under age 65.
“Voters need to know that they will be treated with the same respect and courtesy as everyone else and we will not be checking the gender marker in their ids,” Shew said via email. “I recognize the concern and anxiety and encourage anyone to contact our office if they have further questions.”
Advance voting
Early voting has wrapped up.
Advance ballots that are returned via mail at this point might not reach election headquarters in time to be counted.
The Kansas Legislature passed a law that ended the three-day grace period that allowed ballots to arrive at election headquarters up to three days after polls closed as long as the ballots were postmarked by Election Day. A judge has temporarily blocked enforcement of that law as a lawsuit proceeds, but delays in the postal service could still jeopardize ballots reaching the office in time.
As a safe alternative, there are ballot dropboxes placed around the county. Here are the Lawrence locations:
Douglas County Elections Office, 711 W. 23rd St.
Douglas County Treasurer’s Office, 2601 W. Sixth St.
Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.
Golf Course Superintendents Building, 1421 Research Park Drive
Around the county, there are also dropboxes at Baldwin City, Eudora and Lecompton city halls.
Voters can also take their advance ballots to any polling place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Vote early in person
For each election, in-person early voting is available at the Douglas County election headquarters, 711 W. 23rd St., for certain time periods prior to Election Day. For the Aug. 4 primary, in-person early voting ended at noon Monday, Aug. 3, as is required by state law.
For future reference, see in-person voting hours and locations for Lawrence, Lecompton, Eudora and Baldwin City on the county’s website at this link. All Douglas County voters can cast their ballots early in person at any advance voting site.
Vote on Election Day
In-person voting will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, Aug. 4. As long as you are in line to vote by 7 p.m., you will be allowed to cast your ballot.
Voters will need to go to their assigned polling place; find your polling place at this link.
As noted above, all voters need to bring a photo ID to vote in person.
Trouble at the polls? Contact the ACLU election protection hotline:
• 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) for English;
• 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) for Spanish;
• 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) for Asian languages; and
• 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287) for Arabic.
Voter registration in order to vote in the primary already closed; however, it will reopen after Election Day and remain open through Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026 for those who wish to vote in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election.
Inform your vote
Constitutional amendment question
This question will be on all Kansas voters’ primary ballots.
Here’s our comprehensive article on the proposed amendment:
Here’s additional coverage that we’ve republished from Kansas News Service and Kansas Reflector:
Douglas County Commission races
Note: These articles are focused on the Tuesday, Aug. 4 Democratic primary election. Meet the candidates running for Douglas County Commission District 5, a race that will be decided in the Nov. 3 general election, at this link.
Check your commission district and see all the races that will be on your ballot by visiting myvoteinfo.voteks.org/voterview/.
Maya Smith/Lawrence Times
There are also races for various township seats and three seats on the Lecompton City Council up for election. See the complete list via the Douglas County elections office at this link.
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Lawrence-area statehouse seats
Most races for Lawrence-area seats in the Kansas House of Representatives are uncontested this year, including Districts 44, 45 and 46, represented by Democrats Barbara Ballard, Mike Amyx and Brooklynne Mosley, respectively.
Incumbent Suzanne Wikle and challenger TJ Campsey are facing off in the Democratic primary for the House District 10 seat. No Republicans filed, so the primary will likely decide the election.
Elsewhere in Douglas County:
• Republicans Courtney Sappington, Baldwin City incumbent; Courtney L. Crawford, of Paola; and Jon Chitwood, of Spring Hill will face off in the Aug. 3 primary for the House District 5 seat. The winner of the primary will face Democrat Henry Johns, of Lawrence, in the Nov. 3 general election.
• Mike Stieben and incumbent Lance W. Neelly, both Tonganoxie Republicans, will face off in the primary for the House District 42 seat. The winner will face Brandon Wendt, a Tonganoxie Democrat, in the Nov. 3 general election.
• In House District 47, Republicans Paula Newell Ellis, of Meriden; Christopher W. Feuerborn, of Ozawkie; and Steven Scott, of Ozawkie, will face off in the primary election. The winner will face Mary T. Williams, a Meriden Democrat, in the general election.
Some of these candidates filled out our 2024 election questionnaires. Find their answers via this link and this link.
House Districts 43 and 117 will appear on voters’ ballots for the Nov. 3 general election.
Statewide seats
Numerous candidates have filed to fill the role of governor.
Also in the primary:
• There will be a Democratic primary in the Kansas secretary of state race, between Jennifer Day, of Overland Park, and Samuel Lane, of Shawnee. The winner of the primary will advance to face Republican Pat Proctor and United Kansas Party candidate Scott Morgan, of Lawrence, in the Nov. 3 general election.
In the Nov. 3 general election:
• Chris Mann, a Lawrence Democrat, will face off against incumbent Republican Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, of Lecompton, on Nov. 3.
• Juan C. Luengo, an Olathe Democrat; incumbent Steven Johnson, an Assaria Republican; and Eric Lund, a Paola Libertarian, will face off in the general election for Kansas state treasurer.
• Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Democrat; Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican; and Ric Koehn, a Cimarron Libertarian, will face off in the general election for commissioner of insurance.
See complete lists of statewide candidates on the secretary of state’s website at this link.
Federal races
Here’s coverage we’ve reposted thus far from Kansas News Service and Kansas Reflector in the races for U.S. Senate and House seats.
Find links to additional paywall-free Kansas news sources on our State news page at this link.
U.S. Senate:
Congressional District 1:
This district, currently represented by Tracey Mann, includes Lawrence and the majority of central and western Kansas, but not the rest of Douglas County.
Congressional District 2:
This district, currently represented by Derek Schmidt, includes Douglas County outside of Lawrence.
Videos
You can find a compiled playlist of videos of candidate forums and interviews at this link via our YouTube page.
None of the videos were recorded by The Lawrence Times, but they provide additional context about candidates on the ballot.
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