photo by: Kevin Anderson/Journal-World File Photo

The Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St., is pictured in this file photo.

Folks who are still looking to learn more about the candidates in the race for three open seats on the Lawrence City Commission ahead of the Aug. 1 primary election will get another opportunity this weekend.

The Douglas County Democratic Party is hosting a candidate forum Saturday at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St. The event will start with a networking opportunity at 9:30 a.m., and the forum will follow at 10 a.m. According to the Douglas County Democrats, all eight City Commission candidates have been invited to the forum, and they’ll describe their plans for the city and answer questions from the live audience.

The terms of incumbents Courtney Shipley, Amber Sellers and Brad Finkeldei are expiring this year, and all three have filed for reelection. They’ll be joined on the ballot by Justine Burton, Mike Dever, Chris Flowers, Joshua Olafson and Dustin Stumblingbear. All of the seats are at-large positions, meaning the same eight names will be on ballots throughout the city. Voters can vote for up to three candidates, and the top six vote-winners will move on to the Nov. 7 general election.

It’s unclear precisely how many candidates will appear at the Douglas County Democrats’ forum. At a similar event last weekend hosted by the local branch of the NAACP, all but two City Commission candidates — Dever and Olafson — were in attendance, and a person associated with Dever’s campaign read his answers from a prepared statement.

Advance voting by mail and in person at the Douglas County Elections Office, 711 W. 23rd St., began Wednesday and will remain open until noon on July 31. Folks who wish to request an advance ballot to be mailed have until July 25 to do so.