photo by: Nick Krug

A visitor arrives at the Douglas County Courthouse Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, during advance voting.

Residents in Douglas County who wish to cast election ballots through the mail will no longer need to pay postage to do so.

Advance ballot envelopes will now be marked with postage already paid, the Douglas County Clerk’s Office announced in a Monday news release. Previously, voters who cast their advance ballots through the mail needed to provide a first-class postage stamp.

The 2019 election will be the first time that postage will be paid on advance mail-in ballots, and the county clerk’s office has budgeted for it to remain that way in future elections.

The county also recently mailed upcoming election information and advance voting applications to registered voters in the county.

Each mailer has information about voting in the election and an application to request an advance mail-in ballot, which voters can return to the county clerk’s office. The request for the ballot must be returned by Oct. 15. It also can be returned as a scanned document, as a fax or through the mail.

The general election for the Lawrence City Commission and the Lawrence school board will be Tuesday, Nov. 5. Advance voting will start Wednesday, Oct. 16, and the last day to register to vote is Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Information about the City Commission and school board candidates may be found at ljworld.com/2019-election.