With the primary election for Lawrence City Commission less than three weeks away, campaign season is in full swing.

Just ask Dee Bisel, whose Minuteman Press prints fliers, pamphlets and postcards.

“It started about a week ago,” she said of the work she’s been doing for candidates. “I think everyone waited to see if there was going to be a primary. Once that was settled, they started coming in like gangbusters.

“It’s good business and it’s money well-spent for them.”

Observers say that the six candidates who survive the primary could pump as much as $15,000 each into their campaigns for three spots on the commission.

“It’s signs, postcards, mailers, brochures and literature drops,” said Commissioner Sue Hack, who is not up for re-election. “And the media ads are really the most expensive.”

The biggest chunk of money goes to producing TV and newspaper advertisements, she said.

“If you want to be in the game, if you can call it that, you have to spend the money to do it,” Hack said.

The campaign, though, is getting under way just as voting starts. Advance balloting began this week at the Douglas County Courthouse.

That’s where former Mayor Ernie Angino cast his vote Wednesday.

“You listen to what people do and what they talk about,” he said. “I think you can make a conclusion early on.”

Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said he expects to see a healthy advance turnout, which has totaled as high as 20 percent in some previous elections.

“We have a lot of commuters in Lawrence,” he said. “This way, they can make sure they vote and don’t have to get back in order to make it to the polls.”

In the meantime, expect to see a lot of yard signs advertising candidates in coming weeks.

“The reason you haven’t seen signs all over town is because it’s frozen,” Bisel said. “No one can get them in the ground. So coming this weekend, you’ll start seeing signs popping up everywhere.”

The primary election is Feb. 27. The general election is April 3.