Douglas County election officials urge early voting in primary as more snow threatens area

With the possibility of more snow coming early next week, Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew is urging voters in Lawrence to take advantage of advance voting in Tuesday’s primary election for Lawrence City Commission seats.

Shew also announced that advance voting will be available at the Courthouse Sunday afternoon.

“Our office is preparing emergency plans for Election Day,” Shew said in an email message to news outlets Friday. “There is no provision in state law for postponing Election Day. Our office does have plans for these types of situations and will be reviewing them today. We will work with other entities to ensure that polling places are open for voting on Tuesday regardless of the weather.”

The National Weather Service is predicting a 60 percent chance of light rain or snow in Douglas County starting Sunday night and continuing through Monday.

Registered voters can cast advance ballots at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., through 5 p.m. Friday. Voting will also be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Monday.

Eleven candidates are running for three seats on the Lawrence City Commission. Lawrence voters can mark their ballots for up to three of those candidates. The top six will advance to the April 2 general election.