A Kansas mayor pleaded guilty to voter fraud as a legal resident, and it turns out he probably voted for the man prosecuting him

Joe Ceballos, the former mayor of Coldwater, Kansas, pleaded guilty on Monday to three misdemeanor charges for illegally voting as a non-U.S. citizen. The case made national headlines after State Attorney General Kris Kobach filed voter fraud charges against Ceballos, who had been twice elected to lead the small southern Kansas town. Adding an ironic twist, Ceballos himself said he was “pretty sure” he had voted for Kobach and Trump, consistently backing Republican candidates alongside his friends.

Ceballos immigrated from Mexico in 1975 at age four, holds a green card, and is a permanent legal resident, but he never became a U.S. citizen. As detailed by HPPR, he admitted to voting in elections, saying he genuinely believed his permanent residency permitted him to cast a ballot. His attorney, Jess Hoeme, secured a plea deal after Kobach’s office amended the charges from felonies to misdemeanors, acknowledging a lack of intent.

The plea agreement recommends one year of probation with a six-month suspended jail sentence. Ceballos also agreed to pay a $2,000 fine along with court fees.

He thought he could vote, and the man prosecuting him may have gotten his ballot

This outcome marks a significant shift from the original charges announced on November 5, 2025, when Kobach’s office filed election fraud charges against Ceballos the day after his re-election. The original complaint listed three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury, classified as nonperson felonies carrying a potential prison sentence of more than five years. Kobach stated plainly at the time: “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.”

The stakes were particularly high for Ceballos regarding his immigration status. Tricia McLaughlin, former assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, had indicated that a felony conviction would trigger deportation proceedings. With charges reduced to misdemeanors, Hoeme remains hopeful that Ceballos’s residency will not be affected, though he acknowledged it is still unclear what federal immigration authorities will decide. “It’s my hope that immigration officials, like Attorney General Kobach, will take a look at the man who is Joe Ceballos and realize that removal proceedings would be fundamentally unfair,” Hoeme said.

Kobach has a long history of advocating against noncitizen voting, dating back to his time as Kansas Secretary of State. He fought to pass a proof-of-citizenship requirement for voter registration, though a federal court struck down the Kansas law in 2018. Amid broader Republican efforts to tighten election access, a Trump loyalist recently appointed to probe federal officials who investigated the former president underscores how politically charged election-related enforcement has become. Eight states, including Kansas, have passed laws requiring proof of citizenship to register; only four, Arizona, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Wyoming, have actually implemented them.

Kobach has argued that “voting by noncitizens, including both legal and illegal aliens, is a very real problem” and that every noncitizen vote effectively cancels out a citizen’s. Special Agent Nate Humble and Special Agent in Charge Matt Simpson investigated the case, with First Assistant Attorney General Stacy Edwards handling the prosecution. Hoeme contends the outcome could carry broader implications, suggesting it shows that even those who support stricter immigration policies still expect agencies to act reasonably and follow the rules.

Despite the legal battle, Ceballos drew strong community support, with many Coldwater locals attending court in a show of solidarity for the cattle rancher. On the question of his mayoral position, state law generally requires candidates for elected city office to be qualified electors, though cities may exercise home rule powers. It will ultimately fall to Coldwater’s city attorney to determine whether Ceballos remains eligible to serve following the guilty plea.