Editorial: Races are on

Important local elections are coming up, and voters need to get educated about the candidates and what they stand for.

Anyone who watches, reads or listens to news reports is being bombarded by stories about the U.S. presidential race. While that race certainly is important, Douglas County voters also have a number of important choices to make in local election races. The Aug. 2 primary is fast approaching and will narrow the races for the Douglas County Commission and the Kansas Legislature.

The Republican Party sponsored a forum for its candidates this week and the local Voter Education Coalition has scheduled a forum for Sunday for both Democrats and Republicans who have primary opponents. The forum will start at 3 p.m. in the Lawrence City Commission chambers at City Hall. The first 90 minutes of the forum will be devoted to state legislative races. Confirmed participants in the forum will include the two Democratic candidates in the 44th House District, incumbent Barbara Ballard and challenger Stephen X. Davis, and two Republican candidates in the 45 District, incumbent Rep. Tom Sloan and challenger Jeremy Ryan Pierce. The two Republican candidates in the 42nd District, incumbent Connie O’Brien and challenger Jim Karleskint, also have been invited to participate.

Following the legislative candidates will be the four candidates seeking to replace Jim Flory on the Douglas County Commission. Running for the commission’s 3rd District seat are Democrats Jim Weaver and Bassem Chahine and Republicans Michelle Derusseau and Jim Denney.

The public is welcome and will be allowed to submit questions during Sunday’s forum. The event won’t be televised live but will be available on demand to customers of the local WOW cable system. The League of Women Voters of Lawrence-Douglas County also is planning a public “meet the candidates” event from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at Centennial Park.

Many important issues will be decided by the county and state officials we will elect this year, and it’s vital that local voters get to know their candidates so they can cast informed votes both in the Aug. 2 primary and the Nov. 8 general election.