photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The Douglas County elections office at 711 W. 23rd St. is pictured Monday, Oct. 31, 2022.

Monday is the deadline to file for 2026’s County Commission and Kansas House elections, and a handful of candidates in Douglas County either have no opponent yet or will only be opposed in the primary elections.

Every seat in the Kansas House is up for election this year, and there are currently four districts in Douglas County where the incumbent is running unopposed. Three of these are in Lawrence — Districts 44, 45 and 46, which are held by Democrats Barbara Ballard, Mike Amyx and Brooklynne Mosley, respectively. The fourth is in District 117, which includes parts of Lawrence and Eudora and extends farther east into Johnson County. There, Republican incumbent Adam Turk is the only person who’s filed.

Two area House races will feature a primary, but may not have a contested general election unless someone from a different party files for the seat. In District 10 in southern Lawrence, two Democrats have filed: incumbent Suzanne Wikle and challenger TJ Campsey. And in District 42, which represents most of Eudora and extends north into Leavenworth County, there are two Republicans from Tonganoxie: incumbent Lance Neelly and challenger Mike Stieben.

Two more area races for the Kansas House will feature both a Republican primary contest and a contested general election.

In District 5, which covers southwestern Douglas County, incumbent Courtney Sappington, a Republican from Baldwin City, will face Courtney L. Crawford, a Republican from Paola. The winner of that primary will face rural Douglas County Democrat Henry Johns.

In District 47, which covers parts of Jackson, Jefferson and Douglas counties including the southwestern edge of Lawrence, Paula Newell Ellis, a Republican from Meriden, will face Christopher W. Feuerborn, a Republican from Ozawkie. The winner of the primary will face Mary T. Williams, a Democrat from Meriden. The incumbent, Republican Ronald B. Ellis, has not filed for reelection.

District 43 is the only seat in the area with multiple candidates that won’t feature a primary election. In this district, which is mostly in Johnson County but includes a small section of Palmyra Township in Douglas County, incumbent Republican Bill Sutton, of Gardner, will face Gardner Democrat Kristen Schultz.

photo by: Douglas County

Kansas House Districts in Douglas County.

Meanwhile, the Douglas County Commission has three seats up for election this year. All three Democratic incumbents — Patrick Kelly in District 1, Gene Dorsey in District 4 and Erica Anderson in District 5 — have filed for reelection.

So far, Kelly is running unopposed. Dorsey will face a Democratic primary challenge from Ethan Spurling, a Eudora Democrat. Anderson is the only Democrat who has filed in her district, but she will face a Libertarian candidate in the general election, Kirsten Kuhn of Eudora.

Those interested in filing for election must fill out a candidate declaration form, which must be notarized in person at the Douglas County Election Office, 711 W 23rd St., according to the Douglas County Clerk’s website.

The deadline for candidates to file is noon on Monday, June 1. The primary will be on Tuesday, Aug. 4, and the general election will be on Tuesday, Nov. 3.