photo by: Ashley Golledge

This 2020 sign at the Carnegie Building encourages Lawrence residents to vote.

Election season is upon us, and some races are already shaping up to be competitive while others are seeing few or no candidates.

The candidate filing deadline is just around the corner, with noon on Thursday, June 1, being the cutoff for when candidates must submit their paperwork. There will be an Aug. 1 primary, if needed, and the general election will be on Nov. 7.

Primaries will generally be scheduled only if the number of candidates who file is more than three times the number of open seats, with the exception of the Lawrence City Commission. Lawrence has a charter ordinance that calls for a primary if the number of candidates who file is more than two times the numbers of open seats. As of 5 p.m. on May 26, no primaries are called for.

This year also brings an irregularity with the race for the Lawrence school board, as in addition to an election for the four expiring seats, there is also a special election for the seat of former school board member Andrew Nussbaum. Nussbaum resigned in 2022, less than seven months after being sworn in. The school board appointed GR Gordon-Ross to fill Nussbaum’s seat through the end of this year, triggering the special election as part of the November 2023 general election to determine who should hold the seat through January 2026.

See below for some information about each Douglas County race and a listing of all the candidate filings as of 5 p.m. on May 26. The Journal-World is in the process of completing interviews with all Lawrence City Commission and Lawrence school board candidates, and those that have been completed are linked below. Candidates are listed in the order in which they filed. The newspaper has attempted to contact both Dustin and Rachel Stumblingbear, who are husband and wife and have filed for Lawrence City Commission and Lawrence school board, respectively, but has not yet heard back.

Lawrence City Commission: Three open seats, primary triggered with seventh candidate

• Amber Sellers (incumbent)

• Dustin Stumblingbear

• Mike Dever

• Brad Finkeldei (incumbent)

• Courtney Shipley (incumbent)

• Justine O. Burton

Baldwin City Council: Three open seats, primary triggered with 10th candidate

•No filings as of 5 p.m. on May 26

Eudora City Commission: Three open seats, primary triggered with 10th candidate

• Alex Curnes (incumbent)

• Brian Landon

• Roberta Lehmann (incumbent)

• Timothy L. Bruce (incumbent)

Lecompton City Council: Two open seats, primary triggered with seventh candidate

• Owen Mallonee (incumbent)

Lecompton mayor: One open seat, primary triggered with fourth candidate

• Jimmy Wilkins (incumbent)

Lawrence school board: Four open seats, primary triggered with 13th candidate

• Rachel Stumblingbear

• Anne Costello

• Yolanda Franklin

• Carole Cadue-Blackwood (incumbent)

• Kevin Coronado

• Ariel Miner

• Edward (E.J.) Gonzales

Lawrence school board special election (two-year term): One open seat, primary triggered with fourth candidate

• Justine O. Burton

Baldwin City school board, district 1: One open seat, primary triggered with fourth candidate

• Jamie Cox

• Michael T. Kennedy

Baldwin City school board, district 2: One open seat, primary triggered with fourth candidate

• Ken Snyder

Baldwin City school board, district 3: One open seat, primary triggered with fourth candidate

• Buck Bradley

Baldwin City school board, at-large: One open seat, primary triggered with fourth candidate

• Chad Brecheisen

Eudora school board: Four open seats, primary triggered with 13th candidate

• Claire Harding (incumbent)

• Lynn Reazin (incumbent)

• Becky Plate (incumbent)

• Mark Chrislip (incumbent)

• Kelley Woods

• Zachariah N. Brooks

Perry Lecompton school board (candidates file in Jefferson County), position 1: One open seat, primary triggered with fourth candidate

• Jarae D Essman (incumbent)

Perry Lecompton school board (candidates file in Jefferson County), position 2: One open seat, primary triggered with fourth candidate

• Jackalynn Aldrich (incumbent)

Perry Lecompton school board (candidates file in Jefferson County), position 3: One open seat, primary triggered with fourth candidate

• Emily Riner (incumbent)

Perry Lecompton school board (candidates file in Jefferson County), position at-large: One open seat, primary triggered with fourth candidate

• Gretchen Reed

The last day for voters to register for the primary election is July 11, according to the Douglas County Elections calendar. The last day to register for the general election is Oct. 17.