06/01/2026
My name is Jo Ann Roth. I am a candidate for State Representative, 113th District which is located in central Kansas; parts of Barton, Pawnee, and all of Rice, Stafford and Rush Counties.
My husband of 46 years and I reside in the Roth family home located in Ellinwood, which was built by Kent’s parents, Walter and June Roth, in 1939.
I was employed by the federal government in the United States Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency (FSA), for a dozen years in Barton County, Kansas. I was then elected three (3) terms to the three (3) member Barton County Committee that oversees the local FSA Office and rules upon any farmer appeals. Following 9/11, I went to work with the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, (TSA), until my federal retirement with full benefits.
Now that I am no longer a Federal Employee under the Hatch Act, I am active in Democratic Politics as County Chair and Legislative Candidate in 2022, 2024 and again in this election. Perhaps the third time will be the charm.
My past leadership training includes: I was a member of Kansas Agriculture & Rural Leadership (KARL IV) 1998-99, touring Kansas Industries and traveling to Washington DC and South America, Chili & Argentina.
I am currently a member of Kansas Farm Bureau and grew up on a farm north of Cheyenne Bottoms; I am the daughter of Bob and Bonnie Wirth. My Dad was a full time farmer and part time Union Carpenter. I also belonged to a Labor Union, like my Father and Grandfather, when working for the Federal Government.
My maternal Grandfather, George Walter, immigrated to this country as the Bolshevik Revolution came to a bloody end in Russia. George Walter grew up in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, near the seaport of Odessa. He became a member of the Czar’s White Guard at 15 years of age. My Grandfather was wounded during World War I, and fought in the White Army during the Czar’s final days.
As the Red Army took control, an older sibling made it possible for 19 year old George Walter to travel by ship from the port of Odessa to Tunisia. From there he made his way to Hoisington, Kansas with the help of a sponsor family, the Peter Brack family of Otis.
After George began receiving Rail Road Retirement benefits he confided in me that he was always worried that the Bolsheviks might come over to this country to harm him and his family. I learned from my Grandfather, Freedom is never free; one must be willing to make sacrifices to keep his or her personal freedoms.
The People of Kansas voted overwhelmingly in August 2022, 59% NO to 41% YES, to keep personal autonomy, the right to control one’s own body, a constitutional right in Kansas. The Republican Incumbent was part of a super majority in the State Legislature to put on the August 4, 2026, Primary ballot a Constitutional Amendment to abolish the merit selection of Kansas Supreme Court Justices in a back door attempt to reverse this vote of the people in August of 2022.
This is the Incumbent’s belief, even though in 2022, Kansans clearly voted to protect the right to bodily autonomy in our State Constitution which includes the right to be free from torture. The 59% of the voters who rejected the Constitutional Amendment are my example of Democracy in Action. Legislators, like the Incumbent, who refuse to listen should be voted out of office.
Thank you for your attention and may God bless and keep safe the brave men and women fighting for Democracy around the World.
Paid for by Jo Ann Roth for State Representative, 113th District, Kent Roth Treasurer 10 North Main St Ellinwood, KS 67526 (620) 282-4054
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