Because there is great interest in School Board and City Commission vacancies this year, there will be a Primary Election on Tuesday August 3rd. A General Election for a final determination of City Commissioners and School Board members will take place on Tuesday November 2nd.
As you know, as an organization, ELNA cannot endorse any candidate. BUT we can encourage you to vote, and we can help to make sure you have all the information you need to do so.
First, Make Sure You’re Registered to Vote
- If you’re not sure if you’re registered, or uncertain if your registration information is correct, you may check on the Douglas County Clerk’s website: https://www.douglascountyks.org/depts/voting-and-elections/your-voter-information. You may also check your status in person at the Douglas County Courthouse at 11th & Massachusetts.
- The last day to register to be eligible to vote in the Primary is Tuesday July 13th.
- If you know you’re not registered, but you want to be, you can do so online through the State of Kansas website at: http://www.voteks.org/before-you-vote/how-do-i-register.html You can check your voting eligibility and fill in an online registration through that portal. The good folks at the Douglas County Clerk’s office, again at 11th and Mass, can help you register as well. Be sure to have your ID documents in order before you register.
- Registration to vote will re-open on August 4th, the day after the primary, so that you can vote on November 2nd.
Then, Vote!
By Mail-In Ballot
- You may request a mail in ballot at https://www.ksvotes.org/. A separate application must be submitted for each election, except in the case of permanent illness or disability.
- Your completed application must be received at the Election Office by the Tuesday prior to the election. Submit your application early to avoid delays!
- Ballots will be mailed to you beginning 20 days before the election.
Advance Voting
- Advance voting, both in person and by mail in ballot, for the Primary begins On Wednesday July 14th.
- You can return your mail-in ballot by mail or put it in a secure ballot drop box. Ballot Boxes are located at:
Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts Street, Lawrence
Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper Street, Lawrence
Douglas County Human Services Building, 2518 Ridge Court, Lawrence
S. Iowa Satellite Office, 2329 S. Iowa (behind Texas Roadhouse), Lawrence
Treasurer’s South Satellite Office, 2000 W. 31st Street, Suite B, Lawrence
Golf Course Superintendents Headquarters, 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence
Theatre Lawrence, 4660 Bauer Farm Drive, Lawrence
- You can advance vote in person at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Mass St. At the time of printing of this newsletter, advance voting hours were not determined. Check the County Clerk website for details as they become available.
Primary Election Day!
- The Primary Election will be held on Tuesday August 3rd. If you didn’t advance vote or utilize a mail-in ballot, you can vote at your polling place. Polls are open 7am to 7pm.
- Most of East Lawrence is in Precinct 39, east of Mass and north of 11th. Precinct 39 votes at the Cider Gallery, 810 Pennsylvania. South of 11th, east of Mass, west of the Burroughs Creek Trail, north of 14th St, is Precinct 40. Precinct 40 votes at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1245 New Hampshire Street. A couple of blocks of East Lawrence south of 14th, bound by Mass St and the Burroughs Creek Trail is part of Precinct 33. Precinct 33 votes at Vintage Church at 1501 New Hampshire.
Who’s Running?
In the Primary on August 3rd, voters will narrow the field of candidates for School Board and City Commission. There are currently twelve candidates for School Board and nine for City Commission. The top six Primary vote getters, in both races, will then advance to the General Election on November 2nd.
USD 497 Lawrence School Board — 3 available seats)
Melissa Clissold
Kay Emerson
GR Gordon-Ross (incumbent)
Leticia A. Gradington
Kelly Jones (incumbent)
Markus Logan
Nate Morsches
Andrew Nussbaum
Douglas Redding
Elizabeth Stephens
Travis Tozer
Myranda Zarlengo
City Commission — 3 available seats
Stuart Boley (incumbent)
Chris Flowers
Ma’Ko’Quah Jones
Lisa Larsen (incumbent)
Bart Littlejohn
Shawn Pearson
Milton Scott
Amber Sellers
Gillian Rogers Shaw (withdrawn, but her name will still appear on your ballot)
What to Bring?
Be sure to bring your photo identification with you to your polling place when voting in person. In Kansas, a valid photo id can be a driver’s license or non-driver ID issued by the State of Kansas, a conceal carry license issued by the State of Kansas, a United States passport, an employee badge or ID document issued by a municipal county state or federal government office, a military ID issued by the United States, a student ID card issued by an accredited postsecondary institution of education in the State of Kansas, a public assistance identification card issued by a municipal county state or federal government office, an ID card issued by an Indian tribe. Persons aged 65 years or older may use expired photo id documents.
Some Dates to Consider:
Primary Election Dates
- July 13, 2021: Last day to register to vote in the primary election
- July 14, 2021: Advance voting begins; advance ballots by mail will be mailed to voters
- July 27, 2021: Deadline to request an advance ballot to be mailed
- August 2, 2021: Advance voting closes at noon
- August 3, 2021: Primary election
General Election Dates
- October 12, 2021: Last day to register to vote in the general election
- October 13, 2021: Advance voting begins; advance ballots by mail will be mailed to voters
- October 26, 2021: Deadline to request an advance ballot to be mailed
- November 1, 2021: Advance voting closes at noon
- November 2, 2021: General election
The Douglas County Clerk’s office is a great resource for everything you need to know to vote. At the Clerk’s office website, you can register to vote, find your polling place, explore other ways to vote such as mail in and advance ballots, see who will be on your ballot, view your own voting history, and even link to each candidate’s information. You can find that here: https://elections-hub-dgco.hub.arcgis.com/.
Your vote matters!
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