COLDWATER, KANSAS, November 5, 2025 — A scandal rocking Kansas erupted when Attorney General Kris Kobach announced that Coldwater Mayor Jose “Joe” Ceballos has been criminally indicted for illegally voting as a non-citizen.
According to documents released this morning, Ceballos faces six criminal counts, including election perjury and voting while ineligible. The charges come just one day after he was re-elected as mayor.
Attorney General Kris Kobach said:
“Non-citizen voting is a real problem. It’s not a ‘once in a decade’ thing — it happens more often than people think.”
He stressed that the current electoral system “depends on trust” — the belief that when someone signs a registration to vote and identifies as a U.S. citizen, they are telling the truth.
“In this case, we allege that Mr. Ceballos betrayed that trust.”
According to the investigation, Ceballos — a non-citizen — not only voted in multiple elections, but was also elected to the City Council and later became Mayor. If convicted, he could face at least five years in prison.
The Ceballos case is fueling a heated debate about the integrity of the U.S. electoral system, especially as many states consider tightening citizenship verification laws on voter registration.
Kansas Republican lawmakers called it “living proof” that “non-citizen voting is a real issue, not a rumor.” Democrats, meanwhile, tried to downplay it, saying “an isolated incident does not reflect the system.”
However, the election of a non-US citizen as Mayor has outraged the nation and raised serious questions about voter eligibility.
Source: Kansas Attorney General’s Office, NBC Kansas (KSN)
Author: US News by VLKT News
💬 What do you think — is the US electoral system too permissive for non-citizens to participate in and even run local government?
👇 Please share your thoughts in the comments section!
