Two Lawrence City Commission seats and three Lawrence school board seats will be on voters’ ballots in the Nov. 4, 2025 general election.
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.
Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, which is Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Voters must present a valid photo ID to cast their ballots in person. If you are in line to vote by 7 p.m. on Election Day, you will be allowed to cast your ballot.
If you need to check on your voter registration, find your polling place or check whether these races will be on your ballot, visit myvoteinfo.voteks.org.
School District 497 is Lawrence Public Schools. Most parts of Lawrence within city limits are also within USD 497 boundaries, but some areas in the northwestern part of town are just outside.
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2025 election results
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Newcomers win Lawrence City Commission race; incumbents hold 2 school board seats
Newcomers Mike Courtney and Kristine Polian won the race for Lawrence City Commission, and incumbents Shannon Kimball and Kelly Jones held strong to their Lawrence school board seats Tuesday night. The third school board seat was too close to call.
Meet the candidates
Meet the 2025 candidates for Lawrence City Commission; Election Day is Tuesday
Election Day is Tuesday. Here’s an updated questionnaire for voters to get to know the four Lawrence City Commission candidates, including their answers to new questions we asked them this week.
Meet the 2025 candidates for Lawrence school board
We asked candidates running for Lawrence school board about the experience that they believe qualifies them to run, the board’s direction regarding bullying and disciplinary issues in the Lawrence school district, and much more.
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More Election 2025 coverage
2 more forums coming up for Lawrence City Commission candidates; catch up on forums you missed
Voters in November will elect two Lawrence city commissioners and three Lawrence school board members. Here are the remaining upcoming forums, plus info on forums we’ve covered so far.
Cuyler Dunn/Lawrence Times
Lawrence City Commission, school board candidates commit to transparency at forum
Candidates for the city commission and school board pledged to ensure transparency and improve collaboration between local government branches at a forum Wednesday.
Forums for Lawrence City Commission, school board candidates coming up
Voters in November will elect two Lawrence city commissioners and three Lawrence school board members. Here are some opportunities coming up to get to know the candidates better, plus info on forums we’ve covered so far.
Maya Hodison/Lawrence Times
Candidates for Lawrence City Commission offer ideas on housing development at forum
Lawrence City Commission candidates discussed combatting the city’s housing shortage at a forum Wednesday hosted by local real estate agents and home builders.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence City Commission candidates address tax breaks, debt financing during forum
Lawrence City Commission candidates at a forum Monday said tax incentives with accountability measures will help the city grow infrastructure and jobs, and they discussed differing views on debt-financing projects.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Candidates for Lawrence City Commission address annexation, homelessness during forum
Lawrence City Commission candidates at a forum Wednesday said annexation is necessary to achieve affordability in the city. They also discussed the city’s response to homelessness.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
School board candidates address future of Lawrence Public Schools at forum
All seven Lawrence school board candidates answered questions about safety, diversity, equity and inclusion, and school funding at a forum Sunday afternoon.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Lawrence City Commission candidates to participate in forums hosted by former mayors
Folks can get to know the four candidates for Lawrence City Commission during two upcoming forums to be hosted by former mayors. Candidates will not have the questions ahead of time, according to the organizers.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Nonpartisan forum will introduce voters to Lawrence school board candidates
A nonpartisan civic forum will introduce voters to Lawrence school board candidates and their platforms in advance of the Nov. 4 general election.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Lawrence sees higher than normal voter turnout in 2025 city primary
Around 11.7% of registered Lawrence voters cast a ballot in the 2025 city primary election — more than average, as city-level primaries typically end up around 10%.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Schumm, Polian, Littlejohn and Courtney advance in Lawrence City Commission primary election
Bob Schumm, Kristine Polian, Bart Littlejohn and Mike Courtney will face off for two Lawrence City Commission seats in the Nov. 4 general election.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Around 1.6% of Lawrence voters have cast ballots so far; primary election is Tuesday
Around 1.6% of Lawrence voters have cast their ballots thus far in the 2025 city primary election, and in-person early voting is seeing “a little bit” of an increase, according to County Clerk Jamie Shew.
Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
Voters meet Lawrence City Commission candidates at ‘speed campaign’ event
Voters asked Lawrence City Commission candidates about the budget, Haskell Indian Nations University, affordable housing and other topics important to them at a buzzing forum Saturday.
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Early voting underway for Lawrence City Commission primary
Early voting is now underway for a stacked Lawrence City Commission primary that will narrow a field of 13 candidates down to four.
Meet the 2025 primary candidates for Lawrence City Commission
We asked Lawrence City Commission candidates about the experience that they believe qualifies them to run, what pressing issues they see in the city and how they’d resolve them, and much more.
Candidate forum recordings and more
Click here to go to the full YouTube playlist.
More about the offices
These races are nonpartisan, meaning candidates don’t run with a Democratic, Republican or other party designation, and primary elections are not divided by party.
Seats are elected at large, meaning all voters in the city can vote for all commission seats rather than voting by districts, and all voters within Lawrence school district boundaries can vote for all school board positions.
The Lawrence City Commission has five seats, and commissioners serve four-year terms. Some are elected every two years — in 2025, there will be two seats up for election; in 2027, there will be three seats up for election.
Lawrence city commissioners are paid $22,044 per year for their service. Learn more about the commission and find meeting information at this link.
The Lawrence school board has seven seats, and members serve four-year terms. In 2025, three seats will be up for election; in 2027, four seats will be up for election.
School board members are unpaid volunteers. Learn more about the board and find meeting information at this link.
General election dates to know:
• Tuesday, Oct. 14 — The final day to register to vote or update your voter registration for the general election.
• Wednesday, Oct. 15 — In-person advance voting begins, and advance ballots are mailed. Douglas County voters can register quickly and/or request a mail ballot online at KSVotes.org.
• Tuesday, Oct. 28 — The final day to request a mail ballot.
• Monday, Nov. 3 — In-person advance voting ends at noon.
• Tuesday, Nov. 4 — Election Day! Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find your polling place at this link.
Primary election dates that have passed:
• Monday, June 2 — The deadline to file for office (or remove your name from the ballot) is at noon. Find information about filing for office on Douglas County’s website at this link.
• Tuesday, July 15 — The final day to register to vote or update your voter registration for the primary election. Douglas County voters can register quickly and/or request a mail ballot online at KSVotes.org.
• Wednesday, July 16 — In-person advance voting begins, and advance ballots are mailed.
• Tuesday, July 29 — The final day to request a mail ballot.
• Monday, Aug. 4 — In-person advance voting ends at noon.
• Tuesday, Aug. 5 — Election Day! Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find your polling place at this link.
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