Jose Ceballos, Coldwater Mayor, Charged with Six Voter Fraud Counts

(COLDWATER, KANSAS) Jose Ceballos, the mayor of Coldwater and a lawful permanent resident originally from Mexico, was charged on November 5, 2025 with six felony counts of voter fraud and perjury for allegedly casting ballots in the 2022, 2023 and 2024 elections despite not being a U.S. citizen, according to an announcement by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab. The case centers on whether Ceballos, who was re-elected as mayor on November 4, 2025 with nearly 83% of the vote, violated Kansas law by voting while ineligible and by making false statements under oath in connection with elections.

Kobach said the charges include three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury—each categorized under Kansas law as nonperson felonies. Prosecutors say the voting occurred in separate elections across 2022, 2023, and 2024. If convicted on all counts, Ceballos faces a potential sentence of over five years in prison and up to $200,000 in fines. First Assistant Attorney General Stacy Edwards is prosecuting the case, which investigators say was developed by Special Agent Nate Humble and Special Agent in Charge Matt Simpson.

“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 said, framing the case as a challenge to the trust-based safeguards that underpin voter registration and election procedures in the state.

Explaining how officials believe the system failed to stop an ineligible voter from casting ballots, Kobach added:

“In large part, our system right now is based on trust, trust that when the person signs the registration or signs the poll books saying that he is a qualified elector or that he is a United States citizen, that the person is telling the truth. In this case, we allege that Mr. Ceballos violated that trust.”

Ceballos, who previously served as a city councilman before becoming mayor, remains in office for now as the legal process moves forward. The city has said it will allow the case to proceed through the courts before making further comment, and officials noted he will not be sworn in for another term in January 2026 unless he becomes a citizen before then. Under guidance provided to the city and state election authorities, Ceballos would not be sworn in for a new term set to begin in January 2026 unless he secures U.S. citizenship beforehand. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty, and neither Ceballos nor a representative has issued a public response to the charges to date.

The charges arrive at a sensitive moment for Coldwater and Kansas election officials, combining a local leadership question with a broader statewide debate about voter roll integrity and citizenship verification. Kobach, whose office filed the case, has argued that noncitizen voting can slip through because of how records are gathered and verified.

“Voting by noncitizens, including both legal and illegal aliens, is a very real problem. It happens. Every time a noncitizen votes, it effectively cancels out a U.S. citizen’s vote,” he said.

The Kansas Secretary of State took a similar view of the stakes in a small-town race that drew little outside attention until the criminal case became public.

“If a person who is not a U.S. citizen actually ends up on the ballot for an office, then a US citizen lost the opportunity to obtain that office,” Schwab said.

According to state officials, the Ceballos investigation began after state authorities received information from a new federal database on non-citizens. The system, Kansas officials said, enabled cross-checks that did not exist previously and pointed investigators toward registrations that merited closer review. Kobach described how such inquiries typically start:

“The only way you can discover that a non-citizen is on the voter rolls is if some sort of external information comes to light which indicates that that person is not a U.S. citizen.”

In this instance, state officials said that outside data suggested Ceballos was a lawful permanent resident rather than a citizen, raising questions about his eligibility to vote in Kansas and to hold municipal office.

The legal framework in Kansas gives cities home rule powers, but state law also sets clear eligibility requirements for voting and for holding elected city office. Officials say the standards are straightforward: voters must be U.S. citizens, and elected city officials must likewise be eligible voters and U.S. citizens. At the same time, enforcement of these rules relies heavily on self-attestation—when individuals sign registration forms or poll books asserting they meet all legal requirements. That approach has been at the center of long-running legal and political fights. A 2018 federal court ruling struck down the state’s proof-of-citizenship law, which would have required documentary evidence at registration. Kansas cannot currently compel registrants to provide proof of citizenship, and state leaders say only four states have enacted and implemented similar laws.

For residents in Coldwater, the case wraps together a familiar local figure with a national argument over voter integrity, immigration status, and the boundaries of trust in public records. The allegations reach beyond a single ballot; state prosecutors contend that Ceballos cast votes in three separate elections across three consecutive years. The addition of three perjury counts indicates authorities also believe that false statements were made under oath in an election context, which in Kansas can include information on forms signed under penalty of perjury. While details of the perjury counts have not been publicly spelled out, nonperson felonies in Kansas carry substantial penalties, and the combined exposure underscores how seriously the state views voting violations and sworn statements tied to elections.

The investigation into voter fraud also touches on the mechanics of list checks, the layers of verification used by county and state officials, and how those systems interact with federal data sources. Kansas officials said the new federal database provided the spark in this case. They did not elaborate on how often that system will be consulted, what error rates might be expected when comparing citizenship records, or how individuals can contest potential mismatches—questions likely to arise as more cases develop. What is clear, according to state leaders, is that the current model leaves gaps that are only revealed when outside information surfaces, rather than through automatic, real-time validation during voter registration.

Kobach’s remarks capture the tension. Officials want reliable voter rolls that prevent ineligible voting while also keeping the process accessible and efficient for citizens. Yet, as he described it, “our system right now is based on trust.” Election administrators rely on signed statements of eligibility and citizenship, and, absent a documentary proof requirement at registration, they typically do not demand additional documents unless a specific concern is flagged. That reliance on self-certification, while common, can come under pressure when cases like Jose Ceballos emerge, because they spotlight how a person could serve in office and cast ballots for several years before questions arise.

The Secretary of State’s observation about ballot access points to consequences that stretch beyond the individual accused. If the allegations prove true, an ineligible candidacy would not only affect the composition of a city council or mayor’s office; it would also, as Schwab said, represent a lost chance for a U.S. citizen to hold that seat. In Coldwater’s case, the timing adds a twist: Ceballos won re-election with nearly 83% of the vote on November 4, 2025, only for the charges to be filed the next day. The city has made clear that while he may finish out his current term pending the outcome of legal proceedings, he will not be sworn in for a new one in January 2026 unless he becomes a citizen before that date.

While the case commands attention in Comanche County, it also taps into wider national discussions about noncitizen voting claims and the real scale of the problem. Kansas officials did not release statistics about how many such cases they are pursuing statewide or how many voter registrations might be reviewed as the federal database comes into regular use. They have emphasized, however, that the process is designed to uphold the law and deter violations through targeted investigations rather than broad purges or widespread re-verification drives. That narrow approach may be welcomed by those who fear overreach, but it also leaves open questions about whether future cases will rely on the same kind of external tip or database match that officials say triggered the Coldwater probe.

For Coldwater residents, the immediate effects are practical. City operations continue under current leadership while the criminal case proceeds. The city has declined to offer detailed comments, stating it will allow the legal process to take its course. Without a public statement from Ceballos, there is no defense narrative on the record to explain the voting history or the circumstances of any election filings. In that vacuum, the official statements carry added weight, especially Kobach’s assertions about noncitizen voting and the Secretary of State’s emphasis on the impact of an ineligible candidate appearing on the ballot.

Kobach’s office noted that Special Agent Nate Humble and Special Agent in Charge Matt Simpson handled the investigation, signaling a detailed probe into registrations, election records, and citizenship status. Prosecutor Stacy Edwards, as First Assistant Attorney General, is expected to lay out the state’s evidence in court, including documentation of ballots cast and certifications signed. The dates—ballots allegedly cast in 2022, 2023, and 2024—frame a timeline that spans multiple election cycles, which may factor into how prosecutors argue intent and how the defense responds. Each count is separate, and the cumulative exposure could surpass five years in prison if convictions are entered and sentences are imposed consecutively.

The case also raises the stakes for administrative checks used by counties and the Secretary of State’s office. While Kansas once attempted to require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, the 2018 federal court ruling halted that effort, and only a handful of states have implemented such laws since. In Kansas today, the system retains self-attestation as its cornerstone: when a person signs a registration or a poll book, they certify they are a qualified elector and a U.S. citizen. If the allegations against Ceballos are proven, they would illustrate how that trust-based system can be vulnerable when documentary checks are limited and when citizenship status is not automatically verified.

Kobach has argued that reliance on trust is not enough and that targeted investigations play a key role in shoring up confidence. His blunt assessment of the stakes—“Every time a noncitizen votes, it effectively cancels out a U.S. citizen’s vote”—signals how his office will likely frame the trial: as a case about protecting the value of each lawful ballot. At the same time, his acknowledgment that detection depends on “some sort of external information” underscores the limits of frontline checks at registration or on Election Day. That tension may shape legislative conversations in the months ahead, particularly if lawmakers weigh new mechanisms to validate eligibility while complying with federal court constraints.

For now, the focus stays on Jose Ceballos, Coldwater, and the unfolding voter fraud case in Comanche County. The city’s statement of patience reflects a community waiting for the court process to determine whether the ballots allegedly cast in 2022, 2023 and 2024 were unlawful and whether sworn statements made during those years crossed into perjury. With investigators identified, a prosecutor assigned, and charges on the docket, the path forward is in court filings and hearings, not public debate. The next key date on the calendar is the swearing-in period set for January 2026—a deadline that will decide whether an election victory with nearly 83% support translates into another term, or whether citizenship status halts a political career that moved from city council to the mayor’s office and then into the center of a state-level prosecution.

State officials have directed the public to the Kansas Attorney General’s Office for formal updates and documents related to the case. Information about criminal filings and statewide enforcement priorities can be found through the Kansas Attorney General’s Office.