Finally, an election without the speeches, the handshaking and the baby kissing.

But there will be plenty of debates.

It is the Best of Lawrence, and time is running out to cast your vote. Voting in the contest, which is sponsored by Lawrence.com and the Journal-World, ends this Friday, April 12.

To vote, simply log onto lawrence.com/bestoflawrence2013 or look for the Best of Lawrence icon on LJWorld.com or Lawrence.com. All the winners will be announced in June.

Voters have more than 120 categories that they can weigh in on, including all the traditional favorites, like best hamburger, best barbecue and best pizza. (Yes, you are going to get hungry while you vote.)

Maybe thirsty, too. This year’s contest asks you to choose the best bar in town, but it doesn’t stop there. Voters are asked to decide on the best dive bar, the best happy-hour bar, the best sports bar and on and on. Fortunately, you still have this weekend to become a well-informed voter.

But maybe you’re broke. No worries. We even want to find out about some places that might not cost a dime to visit, like: best place for a run, best park, best landmark, best place to take an out-of-town visitor and best place for a first date. (Oh, first dates usually cost money, I’m told. Maybe that was my problem.)

If you make that mistake, though, perhaps you can be the winner of our more unique categories: best local controversy. We also want to know about the best Facebook page. (You might get a two-for-one deal there: Some of the best controversies get started on the best Facebook pages.)

And finally, the Best of Lawrence doesn’t have to be a place at all. It can be a person. We’re looking for the best barber, the best bartender (how cool would it be if they were one and the same), the best plumber, the best optometrists and, wait a minute … the best politician.

Oh crud, maybe we’re not done with the speeches yet. And those poor, poor babies.