Democrat Nancy Thellman and Republican Jim Flory have won the two seats on the Douglas County Commission.

In the 2nd District race, Thellman, of rural Lawrence, defeated Republican David L. Brown, a Vinland-area farmer and rancher and retired Douglas County Sheriff’s officer, 9,149 votes to 6,470 votes.

“One of my biggest issues was stewardship of the environment and trying to set aside our best soils for agriculture,” said Thellman, an ordained Presbyterian minister.

Flory, a former Douglas County district attorney and lifetime county resident, defeated Democrat Ken Grotewiel, a former Wichita-area legislator who moved to Lawrence about a year ago, 10,556 votes to 8,317 votes.

“I think a lot of people were familiar with me and the fact that I had been here a long time and involved in county government,” Flory said.

Thellman’s victory over Brown means that Democrats now have a majority on the commission. Thellman takes over the seat of Republican Bob Johnson. Flory in January will take on the seat of Republican Jere McElhaney. Flory’s district is traditionally staunchly Republican. Thellman and Flory will join Democrat Charles Jones on the commission in January.

The voter turnout appears to be lower than election officials projected. Instead of the high 70-percent range, it appears to be in the 60-percent range, said Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew.

Some precincts in the western part of Lawrence had 80 to 90 percent turnout, but other precincts in central Lawrence around Kansas University only had 20 percent to 30 percent. Shew said that could be due to a number of inactive voters around KU who have not been taken off the books.

The lower turnout could also have to do with voters not expecting the presidential race to be close after voters flocked to polling sites in the morning, Shew said.