The community of Coldwater is grappling with startling news about its top elected official. Mayor Joe Ceballos has been charged with six felony counts by the Kansas Attorney General’s office for allegedly voting in local and state elections while not being a U.S. citizen. The charges cast a shadow over the recent municipal election and have left the small Comanche County town in a state of uncertainty regarding its leadership.
According to state investigators, Ceballos, who is a legal permanent resident of the United States, voted in at least three elections between 2022 and 2024. He served on the city council before being elected mayor, meaning the alleged illegal voting may have occurred during his entire time in public office. The charges include perjury, based on the assertion that he falsely claimed to be a citizen when he registered to vote and reaffirmed that claim under oath. The situation came to light after state officials, using a federal database, cross-referenced voter information with immigration records.
The case has direct consequences for the town’s immediate future. Officials have confirmed that the results of the most recent election, in which Ceballos was a candidate for re-election, have not yet been certified. This leaves the position of mayor in a state of legal limbo. Residents are now left to wonder who will lead their community as the judicial process unfolds. The situation is a difficult one for a small town where personal relationships with local leaders are often close-knit.
State leaders have emphasized that the case is about upholding the law, but for the residents of Coldwater, the matter is deeply personal and disruptive. The allegations against Mayor Ceballos strike at the heart of civic trust. The town now faces a period of waiting as the legal system takes its course. Ceballos is scheduled for an initial appearance in Comanche County District Court in early December, where more details of the state’s case are expected to be presented. Until then, the community is left to manage the fallout and ponder the integrity of its own electoral process.
