Douglas County commission candidates to face voters at two forums

Douglas County residents will soon get two chances to hear county commission candidates answer questions in public before the Aug. 4 primary, and the races could help determine tax bills, road spending, development rules and public-safety priorities across the county’s 455.77 square miles. All three commission seats on the ballot in 2026 make the forums especially important for voters in Lawrence, Baldwin City, Eudora and Lecompton.

The first forum is set for 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 23, at KU Innovation Park, 2033 Becker Drive. It is being hosted by the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and is limited to Chamber members. The second forum is scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, June 28, in Building 21 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St. That event is hosted by the Douglas County Rural Preservation Association and is free and open to the public.

The ballot will feature three commission contests. In District 1, incumbent Democrat Patrick Kelly faces primary challenger Milton Scott. In District 4, incumbent Democrat Gene Dorsey faces primary challenger Ethan Spurling. In District 5, incumbent Democrat Erica Anderson has no primary opponent but will face Libertarian Kirsten Kuhn in the general election. Districts 2 and 3 are not on the ballot again until 2028.

The timing matters because the primary election is Aug. 4, and the general election is Nov. 3. Voters who need to register or update their registration for the primary have until July 14, and Kansas election officials say advance voting begins July 15. Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew serves as the county’s election officer, overseeing the planning and operation of elections in the county.

The forums also come against the backdrop of a commission that now has five members instead of three. Douglas County voters approved that expansion in 2022 by about 61% to 39%, a change supporters argued would improve representation, especially for rural residents. The current board represents a county that had an estimated population of 121,989 in 2024, so decisions made by commissioners reach a large and diverse mix of neighborhoods, farms and towns.

Budget politics add another layer to the contests. Douglas County’s 2026 budget lowered the property-tax rate but still increased taxes for most residents because assessed property values rose. That makes questions about spending, infrastructure and county priorities likely to draw close attention at both forums, where voters can compare the candidates side by side before ballots go out.