Lawrence voters on Tuesday will elect two city commissioners and three school board members.
These seats don’t tend to get as much attention as presidential races, but the people who hold them are often responsible for making the decisions that most directly affect Lawrence residents’ lives and families.
Here’s what voters should know about how and when to cast their ballots, plus where to learn about the candidates.
How and when to vote
Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, which is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
If you need to find your polling place, visit myvoteinfo.voteks.org.
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Voters must present a valid photo ID to cast their ballots in person. If you are in line to vote by 7 p.m., you will be allowed to cast your ballot.
Early voting will be available from 8 a.m. to noon Monday, Nov. 3 at the county elections office, 711 W. 23rd St.
Lawrence residents who are voting by mail ballot can drop their ballots off until 7 p.m. on Election Day at the following dropbox locations:
• Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.;
• Douglas County elections office, 711 W. 23rd St.;
• Douglas County treasurer’s office, 2601 W. Sixth St.;
• Golf Course Superintendents building, 1421 Research Park Drive.
Ballots can also be dropped at any polling place on Tuesday until polls close at 7 p.m.
The Douglas County clerk’s office can count ballots it receives in the mail through Friday, Nov. 7, as long as they are postmarked on or before Election Day; however, it is unlikely that ballots mailed now would reach the office in time to be counted. (A change to state law that will eliminate the three-day grace period is set to go into effect in January 2026 but will not affect the 2025 city election.)
Visit the county website, dgcoks.gov, for more voting information.
Who’s on the ballot?
Four candidates, narrowed in the Aug. 5 primary, are running for two Lawrence City Commission seats. Newcomers Mike Courtney and Kristine Polian, former commissioner Bob Schumm, and incumbent Bart Littlejohn will face off.
In the Lawrence school board race, three seats will be up for grabs. Newcomers ChrisTopher Niles Enneking, Matt Lancaster, Pam Shaw and Molly Starr are challenging incumbents Bob Byers, Kelly Jones and Shannon Kimball.
Get to know the candidates from our questionnaires:
City commissioners are elected to four-year terms and paid about $22,000 per year. School board members are elected to four-year terms that are unpaid, volunteer positions.
Races and seats for both governing bodies are nonpartisan, but we asked candidates about their party affiliations in our questionnaires.
School board member Anne Costello announced her resignation last week, but the board will fill her seat through an appointment process. The vacancy does not change how many people will be elected.
Find much more election coverage — including articles about forums and issues, endorsements, other questionnaires and our YouTube playlist of forum recordings — linked below and at lawrencekstimes.com/election2025.
Keep an eye on The Lawrence Times for election results as soon as they start to become available Tuesday evening.
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This post is by the Lawrence Times news team.
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