Coldwater Mayor Jose Ceballos was arrested the day after a re-election victory and charged with six felony counts of election fraud: three for voting without being qualified to do so, and three for election perjury.
Ceballos was unopposed in the November 4th election in the Comanche County community with a population of 687 as of 2024.
State law generally requires that candidates for elected city office must be a qualified elector, or eligible to vote, and be a resident of the city. However, cities have home rule power. It will be up to the city attorney to decide whether Ceballos is eligible to continue in his role as the Coldwater mayor, per a news release from Attorney General Kobach.
City Attorney Skip Herd told KWCH TV that Ceballos’ application for permanent citizenship earlier this year raised the issue of whether he was a legal voter. Ceballos held a green card and was considered a permanent resident, but not allowed to vote, per the Office of Secretary of State Scott Schwab:
Schwab added, “We now have tools, thanks to the current White House, that we haven’t had in over 10 years. We can check through the SAVE program to find out if folks end up on our voter rolls. And they could be a legal resident, but they’re not a citizen. We want to make sure that gets clarified.”
In announcing Ceballos’ apprehension, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach issued a news release reading in part:
“In Kansas, it is against the law to vote if you are not a U.S. citizen. We allege that Mr. Ceballos did it multiple times”.
Kobach added, “Voting by non-citizens, including both legal and illegal aliens, is a very real problem. It happens. Every time a non-citizen votes, it effectively cancels out a U.S. citizen’s vote.”
Coldwater mayor voted 29 times since 2000
Researcher Earl Glynn from Watchdog Lab has uncovered evidence that Ceballos has been voting in Kansas since 2000:
“Voter history information from voter files shows Ceballos voted 29 times from the presidential general election in Nov. 2000 (GN2000) through the presidential election in Nov. 2024 (GN2024). Ceballos did not cast a ballot in 2018.”
Interviewed on KCMO Radio, Kobach was asked by host Pete Mundo, “Mr. Attorney General, how does someone like this end up on Kansas voter rolls for the last 20 years?”
Kobach: “It’s a reflection of the fact that our entire system is based on trust. When you register to vote, you simply check a box and sign your name below it, saying, ‘I’m a U.S. citizen, I am 18 years of age or older’; so many, many, many non-citizens have gotten on our voter rolls. So, you know, I suppose it was inevitable, but at some point, someone who actually ran for office might also be on our voter rolls and be voting illegally. But it is a crime. Every time a non-citizen votes, it cancels out the vote of a citizen.”
Mundo: “How did you find out about this?”
Kobach: “I can’t give you the details since the case is pending and this will all come out at trial, but suffice it to say that the Secretary of State’s office informed us, and the Secretary of State’s office had an indicator that the individual might indeed be a non-citizen.”
Mundo: “How big of an issue do you suspect this is in Kansas?”
Kobach: “According to an expert who testified in 2015 and 2016, there are likely thousands of non-citizens on our voter rolls by doing a statistical analysis. And I think that is probably the case. We may finally get the answer. There is one external way you can kind of look at a state’s voter rolls, and that is to bounce the state’s database voter rolls against the Department of Homeland Security list of known aliens in the United States. I’ve been asking for that way back when I was secretary of state and continued to ask as attorney general. It looks like finally, after more than a decade of asking, we may actually have that.”
Mundo: “Is there anything that can be done to make sure this is less likely to happen?
Kobach: “In 2015 and 16, we passed a law in Kansas saying that you have to prove your citizenship when you register, because once people get on the voter rolls, as is this case, it’s very difficult. You don’t have a mechanism to be able to say, oh, there’s a citizen, there’s a non-citizen. And so, it’s on the front end to screen people when they get on the voter rolls. Anyway, it was fought in court. We drew a panel of judges in the 10th Circuit that was, I think, biased against our law. If the law had gone to the U.S. Supreme Court, I’m absolutely certain we would have won the Kansas law requiring proof of citizenship. Anyway, that debate is out there. There’s an Arizona law that’s working its way to the Supreme Court right now.”
The City of Coldwater issued a statement through City Council President Britt Lenertz:
The Coldwater City Council was called in for a Special Meeting by Mayor Joe Ceballos November 5th, 2025 at 1240 pm to discuss recent events that have transpired with the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.
At this time, our focus remains on ensuring that city operations continue to run smoothly and that the needs of our community are met. While the recent allegations involving the mayor are understandably concerning, we will allow the proper legal process to take its course before making any further comments. It’s important that we respect both due process and the integrity of our local government.
Lenertz issued an update on November 7th:
At this time, the City has not received any additional information regarding the ongoing investigation or the criminal charges filed against Mayor Ceballos. We recognize the importance of transparency and due process and are committed to ensuring that all actions taken by the City remain in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations. To that end, we are actively seeking guidance from the state level to determine the appropriate course of action moving forward. Our foremost priority is to uphold the integrity of City operations and maintain the public’s trust as this matter continues to unfold.
We asked Mayor Ceballos for comment, but he did not respond. If convicted, the mayor faces more than five years in jail.
