Former Kansas mayor pleads guilty to voting illegally as a noncitizen

Source: High Plains Public Rado/NPR

Published April 20, 2026 at 1:01 PM CDT


COLDWATER, Kansas — Former mayor of the town of Coldwater, Joe Ceballos, pleaded guilty Monday to three misdemeanor charges for voting without being a U.S. citizen. The twice-elected mayor of the small southern Kansas town made his way to national headlines after being charged with voter fraud, filed by state Attorney General Kris Kobach.

Ceballos immigrated from Mexico when he was four years old back in 1975. He has his green card and is a permanent legal resident but not a citizen. Ceballos admits he has been voting in elections, calling it an honest mistake, thinking he was allowed to vote as a permanent resident. His attorney, Jess Hoeme, said this plea deal agreement was fair after Kobach amended the charges from felony to misdemeanor due to a lack of intent.

“After reviewing the case and everything about the case, the attorney general’s office offered to amend the complaint to a Class B misdemeanor,” Hoeme said. The plea deal recommended a sentence of one year probation with a six-month jail sentence that is suspended. Ceballos also agreed to pay a $2,000 fine plus court fees. Tricia McLaughlin, who was the assistant secretary for public affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, previously said if convicted of felony charges the agency would start the deportation process for Ceballos.

Hoeme said it’s unclear what the State Department will do, but he said these charges should not affect Ceballos’ residency status or lead to deportation. “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.

Read more: https://www.hppr.org/hppr-news/2026-04-20/former-kansas-mayor-pleads-guilty-to-voting-illegally-as-a-noncitizen