Early voting is underway for a stacked Lawrence City Commission primary.
The names of 13 candidates running for city commission will appear on Lawrence voters’ ballots in the Tuesday, Aug. 5 primary election.
The top four vote recipients in the primary will advance to the Nov. 5 general election to vie for one of two Lawrence City Commission seats on the ballot. (Three school board seats will also be up for election in November, but not enough candidates filed to necessitate a primary.)
Why bother?
City election primaries tend to see relatively low voter turnout, but the commissioners who are ultimately elected often make the government decisions that most directly affect voters’ day-to-day lives and wallets.
Related post:
• Meet the 2025 primary candidates for Lawrence City Commission, July 13, 2025
For instance, on Tuesday, a majority of commissioners said they would support charging fees to use the city’s recreation centers, which would be a major change for thousands of residents who use them regularly. City property taxes will also most likely increase again next year.
Turnout in odd-year primaries tends to be around 10% of registered voters, Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew has said. In the August 2023 primary election, about 10.3% of registered voters cast ballots. (However, the total of 7,068 ballots cast was nearly 450 more than in the 2017 and 2021 primaries, which both saw 6,626.)
Since The Lawrence Times started publishing in 2021, all incumbent city commissioners who have filed to run for reelection have advanced to their respective general elections.
Vote early in person
Voters can cast their ballots early in person at the Douglas County Elections office, 711 W. 23rd St. —
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays starting Wednesday, July 16 and continuing through Friday, Aug. 1
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2.
• 8 a.m. to noon on Aug. 4, the final Monday before the election.
Voters must present a valid photo ID to cast their ballots in person.
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Vote by advance ballot
Ballots are being mailed to voters who requested them starting Wednesday.
Voters can still request a mail ballot online at KSVotes.org. The deadline to request an advance ballot be mailed to you is Tuesday, July 29.
There are three ballot dropboxes available for the primary election:
• Douglas County Elections Office, 711 W. 23rd St. (in the strip on the southwest corner of 23rd and Louisiana streets)
• Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St. in downtown Lawrence
• Douglas County Treasurer, 2601 W. Sixth St. (between Crestline Drive and Schwarz Road on the south side of Sixth Street)
Ballots do not require a stamp to mail back, but because of postal delays, voters might wish to put their ballots directly into dropboxes by 7 p.m. on Election Day — Tuesday, Aug. 5 — to ensure they are counted.
More than 200 ballots were not counted last August because they did not arrive on time, despite being postmarked in July.
Vote on Election Day
Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on primary Election Day, which is Tuesday, Aug. 5. If you need to check on your voter registration or find your polling place, visit myvoteinfo.voteks.org.
Learn about the candidates
This year, incumbent Bart Littlejohn is running again, but longtime Commissioner Lisa Larsen did not file for office. Two former commissioners and 10 newcomers also filed to run.
Learn more about the candidates before you cast your ballot by reading our candidate questionnaire:
There is also a “speed campaign” event where voters can meet candidates set for 2 p.m. Saturday, July 19 at the Lawrence Public Library auditorium, 707 Vermont St. Read more about that at this link.
Find more voting information on the county’s 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.
More coverage: Election 2025
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