Jo Ella Hoye

From Ballotpedia
Jo Ella Hoye
Candidate, Kansas House of Representatives District 17
Kansas House of Representatives District 17
Tenure
2021 - Present
Term ends
2027
Years in position
5
Predecessor:Tom Cox (R)
Compensation
Base salary
$43,000/year
Per diem
$178/day
Elections and appointments
Last election
November 5, 2024
Next election
August 4, 2026
Education
Bachelor's
Cornell College, 2006
Graduate
University of Kansas, 2009
Personal
Birthplace
Lincoln, NE
Religion
Unitarian Universalist
Profession
Analyst
Contact

Jo Ella Hoye (Democratic Party) is a member of theKansas House of Representatives, representingDistrict 17. She assumed office on January 11, 2021. Her current term ends on January 11, 2027.

Hoye (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to theKansas House of Representatives to representDistrict 17. She declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled onAugust 4, 2026.

Biography

Jo Ella Hoye was born inLincoln, Nebraska. She earned a bachelor's degree from Cornell College in 2006 and a master's degree from the University of Kansas in 2009. Hoye's career experience includes working as a senior analyst for the Johnson County Manager's Office.[1]

Committee assignments

2025-2026

Hoye was assigned to the following committees:

2023-2024

Hoye was assigned to the following committees:

2021-2022

Hoye was assigned to the following committees:

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according toBillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.


Elections

2026

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2026

General election

The primary will occur on August 4, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17

IncumbentJo Ella Hoye is running in the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on August 4, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Jo Ella Hoye
Jo Ella Hoye

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Incumbents arebolded and underlined.

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Endorsements

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2024

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 17

IncumbentJo Ella Hoye defeatedMichael Kerner in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jo Ella Hoye
Jo Ella Hoye (D)
 
66.7
 
8,150
Image of Michael Kerner
Michael Kerner (L)
 
33.3
 
4,073

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 12,223
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17

IncumbentJo Ella Hoye advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on August 6, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jo Ella Hoye
Jo Ella Hoye
 
100.0
 
1,568

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 1,568
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Kansas House of Representatives District 17

Michael Kerner advanced from the Libertarian convention for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on April 20, 2024.

Candidate
✔
Image of Michael Kerner
Michael Kerner (L)

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Hoye in this election.

2022

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 17

IncumbentJo Ella Hoye defeatedEmily Carpenter andMichael Kerner in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jo Ella Hoye
Jo Ella Hoye (D)
 
53.6
 
6,139
Image of Emily Carpenter
Emily Carpenter (R)
 
44.5
 
5,102
Image of Michael Kerner
Michael Kerner (L)
 
1.9
 
217

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 11,458
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17

IncumbentJo Ella Hoye advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jo Ella Hoye
Jo Ella Hoye
 
100.0
 
4,100

Ballotpedia Logo

Incumbents arebolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 4,100
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17

Emily Carpenter defeatedMax Langston in the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on August 2, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Emily Carpenter
Emily Carpenter
 
79.2
 
3,716
Image of Max Langston
Max Langston Candidate Connection
 
20.8
 
978

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 4,694
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Kansas House of Representatives District 17

Michael Kerner advanced from the Libertarian convention for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on April 23, 2022.

Candidate
✔
Image of Michael Kerner
Michael Kerner (L)

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

2020

See also: Kansas House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Kansas House of Representatives District 17

Jo Ella Hoye defeatedKristine Sapp andMichael Kerner in the general election for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jo Ella Hoye
Jo Ella Hoye (D) Candidate Connection
 
50.9
 
7,058
Image of Kristine Sapp
Kristine Sapp (R) Candidate Connection
 
45.9
 
6,356
Image of Michael Kerner
Michael Kerner (L)
 
3.2
 
443

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 13,857
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17

Jo Ella Hoye advanced from the Democratic primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jo Ella Hoye
Jo Ella Hoye Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
2,502

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 2,502
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17

Kristine Sapp advanced from the Republican primary for Kansas House of Representatives District 17 on August 4, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Kristine Sapp
Kristine Sapp Candidate Connection
 
100.0
 
3,501

Ballotpedia Logo

There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,501
Candidate Connection = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also:Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Jo Ella Hoye has not yet completedBallotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.Send a message to Jo Ella Hoye asking her to fill out the survey. If you are Jo Ella Hoye,click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for.  More than 25,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the surveyhere.

You can ask Jo Ella Hoye to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing joellaforkansas@gmail.com.

Twitter
Email

2024

Jo Ella Hoye did not completeBallotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Jo Ella Hoye did not completeBallotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Candidate Connection

Jo Ella Hoye completedBallotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Hoye's responses.

Expand all |Collapse all

I am a public servant, community volunteer, advocate, and leader running for the Kansas House of Representatives to elevate the voices of Kansans and to continue to fight for the health and safety of our families. I am involved with the Shawnee Mission School District's My Volunteer Pal program as a weekly classroom volunteer, I serve as Vice President for Ways and Means of the Rising Star Elementary School PTA, I'm Vice Chair of the Lenexa Planning Commission, and I am the former Kansas Chapter Leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America.Born in Lincoln, NE, I'm a graduate from Nebraska City High School and Cornell College. I earned my Master's Degree in Public Administration from the University of Kansas. My husband, Brian, and I live in Lenexa with our third grader, William.
  • Every Kansas student deserves the opportunity for a quality, well-funded education. Teachers should have access to training, and the state must have high standards for licensing and hiring teachers. Schools should have the capacity to hire student support services staff and prioritize the needs of our most vulnerable students. Our policies must help schools attract and retain excellent teachers. The Kansas Supreme Court found the 2019 school funding formula to be adequate, and the court will make sure that the legislature fully funds schools through 2023. Kansas lawmakers must ensure that school funding reflects the changes in educational costs, and we should not go back on our commitment to adequately fund schools by 2023.
  • Kansas must close the coverage gap and make sure that all Kansans have access to affordable healthcare. The Kansas Legislature failed to move forward with Medicaid expansion during the 2020 legislative session, so I will be a steadfast advocate for Medicaid expansion when I take office in 2021. We need lawmakers who will make sure that we utilize the services that the Federal Government offers such as the Excellence in Mental Health Centers Act. Kansas currently receives zero dollars, because we chose not to participate. We are missing out on billions of federal dollars for healthcare that should be used right here in Kansas. Medicaid Expansion would boost our economy and create more than 4,000 jobs.
  • COVID has taught us some hard lessons, but Kansans are resilient. We won't let our communities fall behind. Our pandemic response must be safe and equitable. We know that the state budget should meet the needs of citizens while being fiscally responsible with taxpayer dollars. As a former Senior Analyst in the Johnson County Manager's Office, I have the public budgeting experience to get us back on track.
The gun violence crisis has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Gun sales are historically high, but Kansas permits are plummeting, because permits and training aren't required to carry a hidden, loaded gun. Gun deaths are the leading cause of death for American children and teens. Suicides account for 69% of gun deaths in Kansas; this is nearly 10% higher than the national average. We must do more to keep guns out of the hands of people with dangerous histories by requiring background checks on all gun sales, implementing a red flag law so that family members and law enforcement can help people in crisis, and building on the domestic violence bill that overwhelmingly passed the Legislature in 2018, signed into law by Governor Colyer. Convicted domestic abusers should be required to relinquish guns they may already have to law enforcement for the period of time they are prohibited from having firearms. As a parent and a gun owner, I'll keep fighting for sensible gun laws that save lives.
I often reflect on this quote from my ethics professor, H. George Frederickson, from his book, The Spirit of Public Administration:

"Embracing equity as the third normative pillar of public administration requires public servants to seek out and work toward more just allocations of public goods and services, to represent those who do not otherwise have access to public policy processes, to seek the public interest or greater good, and to represent the dignity of individuals (public employees as well as other citizens) and tirelessly safeguard their rights."
As a young girl, I had a big dream to become a lifeguard. I started as a lifeguard at the Steinhart Municipal Pool in Nebraska City, NE when I was 16 and worked there for five summers. I was also a lifeguard in Fort Myers, FL for a year. I took great pride in keeping the facilities clean and safe, and I taught swimming lessons for eight years.
My experience in nonpartisan, professional local government will be beneficial in helping me build bipartisan coalitions and navigating the legislative process in Topeka. I will be able to hit the ground running to ensure the most responsive representation for the citizens of Kansas House District 17. Previous experience is beneficial but not required. Government should be accessible and inclusive. My civic involvement includes:

o City of Lenexa, Planning Commission, Vice Chair 2015-present
o City of Lenexa, Complete Streets Advisory Committee 2019
o Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, KS Chapter Leader 2016-2019
o Johnson County Govt.-County Manager's Office, Senior Analyst 2010-2013
o City of Mission:
i. Parks & Rec. Commission 2012-2014
ii. Swimming Pool Task Force, Chair 2012-2013

iii. Downtown Visioning Committee, Chair 2010-2011
Unfortunately, we were already on the road to a recession prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Governor Kelly balanced the budget with an ending balance to cover for unpredictable issues that could arise. We have learned some hard lessons as we were finally edging toward a restoration of the core functions of our state government only to be faced with unprecedented budget shortfalls. We must take what we have learned over the last few years so that we are prepared for future hardships, and we must not let our state departments and services be devastated by drastic cuts to our most essential services. We need Federal assistance to help right the course and modernize core services.
I support fair maps. Partisan lawmakers should not draw the redistricting maps; the process must be nonpartisan. I think that an impartial redistricting committee would be a good way to prevent gerrymandering.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Ballotpedia LogoNote: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf.Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at theFEC website. Clickhere for more on federal campaign finance law andhere for more on state campaign finance law.

Jo Ella Hoye campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024Kansas House of Representatives District 17Won general$37,857 $0
2022Kansas House of Representatives District 17Won general$56,897 $0
2020Kansas House of Representatives District 17Won general$105,086 N/A**
Grand total$199,841 N/A**
Sources:OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also:State legislative scorecards andState legislative scorecards in Kansas

Ascorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Kansas scorecards, email suggestions toeditor@ballotpedia.org.


2024

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show].   

In 2024, theKansas State Legislature was in session from January 8 to April 30.

Legislators are scored on their stances on conservative fiscal policy.
Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization.
Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education."
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.


2023

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show].   

In 2023, theKansas State Legislature was in session from January 9 to April 28.

Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization.
Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education."
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.


2022

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show].   

In 2022, theKansas State Legislature was in session from January 10 to May 23.

Legislators are scored on their votes on a variety of issues of interest to the organization.
Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education."
Legislators are scored by the MainStream Coalition on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.


2021

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show].   

In 2021, theKansas State Legislature was in session from January 11 to May 26.

Legislators are scored on their stances on conservative fiscal policy.
Legislators are scored on their support for bills that the organization lists as promoting "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and student-focused education."
Legislators are scored by the MainStream Coalition on whether they voted with the moderate position on selected bills.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.








See also


External links

Candidate

Kansas House of Representatives District 17

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    • Footnotes

    1. ↑Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 17, 2020

    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Tom Cox (R)    		Kansas House of Representatives District 17
    2021-Present    		Succeeded by
    -


    Current members of theKansas House of Representatives
    Leadership
    Speaker of the House:Daniel Hawkins
    Majority Leader:Chris Croft
    Minority Leader:Brandon Woodard
    Representatives
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    Rui Xu (D)
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