Kansas leaders charged Joe Ceballos, the mayor of a small city in rural Kansas, with a crime on Wednesday. They say he voted in several elections even though he is not a U.S. citizen.<\/p>\n
Scott Schwab, the Secretary of State for Kansas, and Kris Kobach, the Attorney General for Kansas, both Republicans who were elected, said they had filed six charges against Ceballos, a legal permanent resident from Mexico, for voting in elections in 2022, 2023, and 2024.<\/p>\n
Ceballos used to be a city councilman and is now the mayor of Coldwater, Fox News noted.<\/p>\n
States are obligated by law to have ways to regularly clean up their voter registration lists, which are also called voter rolls. Kobach, a longstanding immigration hawk and ally of President Donald Trump, said that the procedure includes using outside databases to look for noncitizens, but that it is not foolproof.<\/p>\n
\u201cNoncitizen voting is a real problem. It is not something that happens once in a decade. It is something that happens fairly frequently,\u201d Kobach said, echoing the broader sentiments of Republicans who say voter fraud is a pressing issue.<\/p>\n
According to the lawsuit that Fox News Digital looked at, Ceballos\u2019 allegations, which include lying under oath and voting when he wasn\u2019t qualified, could get him more than five years in prison.<\/p>\n
Kobach, who used to be the Secretary of State for Kansas, has a lengthy history of calling for stricter voter ID legislation and tougher immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n
He lost a high-profile federal case in 2018 after trying to enforce a state rule that said voters had to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when they registered to vote.<\/p>\n
A court said it went beyond what was needed to prove citizenship, which is against federal election laws.<\/p>\n
The court concluded at the time that the state law could not \u201cbe justified by the scant evidence of noncitizen voter fraud before and after the law was passed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kobach didn\u2019t say how state officials found out that the mayor and former city councilman are supposedly not a citizens, but he did say that investigators have \u201cunassailable evidence\u201d against Ceballos.<\/p>\n
Kobach argued that city officials, such as mayors, must also be U.S. citizens. The attorney general said this was \u201cworth noting\u201d but not a crime. On Election Day, Ceballos was on the ballot for re-election, but the official results have not yet been confirmed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 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,\u201d Kobach said. \u201cIn this case, we allege that Mr. Ceballos violated that trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kobach and Schwab claimed they have started using a federal government database that enables them to verify voter rolls against immigration information. They think this will help them find more voting irregularities.<\/p>\n
Ceballos will be in court for the first time on December 3.<\/p>\n
This comes amid the federal government shutdown, which is approaching almost 40 days.<\/p>\n
The Democratic House and Senate leaders sent a letter to President Trump on Wednesday morning, a day after elections nationwide saw their party pick up gains in blue regions, demanding \u201cbipartisan\u201d talks to reopen the government.<\/p>\n
The letter comes after most Senate Democrats have voted 14 times against a GOP-led spending bill to reopen the government.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a new report suggests that key elements of a potential deal to end the federal government shutdown are beginning to take shape \u2014 though it remains uncertain when, or even if, all sides will reach an agreement.<\/p>\n
According to Axios, the proposed \u201cthree-legged\u201d plan includes three main components: a Senate vote on Affordable Care Act tax credits, a short-term continuing resolution to give negotiators more time to finalize a full-year budget for the fiscal year that began October 1, and a separate vote to fund military construction, the legislative branch, and agriculture programs.<\/p>\n
Before Senate Democrats forced the government into a shutdown, the House had already passed a bill to keep it funded through November 21.<\/p>\n
If the Senate now strikes a deal to reopen the government, the House will have to return to session and approve the measure, extending the funding deadline in the process.<\/p>\n
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and Secretary of State Scott Schwab\u00a0announced\u00a0charges against Jose (Joe) Ceballos, the re-elected mayor of Coldwater, alleging he voted multiple times and served in office despite not being a U.S. citizen.<\/p>\n
The Kansas Attorney General\u2019s Office filed six felony counts in Comanche County\u2014three counts of\u00a0voting without being qualified<\/em>\u00a0and three counts of\u00a0election perjury.<\/em> \u201cIn 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,\u201d Kobach said. \u201cVoting by noncitizens, including both legal and illegal aliens, is a very real problem. Every time a noncitizen votes, it effectively cancels out a U.S. citizen\u2019s vote.\u201d<\/p>\n Investigators said Ceballos, a legal permanent resident and citizen of Mexico, has been registered to vote since 1990 and sought citizenship earlier this year.<\/p>\n The attorney general\u2019s office said Special Agent Nate Humble and Special Agent in Charge Matt Simpson are leading the investigation, with First Assistant Attorney General Stacy Edwards prosecuting.<\/p>\n Ceballos is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.<\/em><\/p>\n The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)\u00a0said\u00a0its Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program helped identify the voter-eligibility issue.<\/p>\n \u201cThis situation is absolutely unacceptable and, sadly, no surprise given the years of lax voting security in the United States,\u201d said USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser. \u201cFrom day one, the Trump administration made strengthening the SAVE program a top priority. SAVE is exposing bad actors and safeguarding the integrity of our elections like never before.\u201d<\/p>\n USCIS said 26 states already use or are finalizing agreements with the SAVE system to verify immigration status and citizenship before voter registration.<\/p>\n Secretary of State Scott Schwab<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe now have tools, thanks to the current White House, that we haven\u2019t had in over 10 years,\u201d Schwab said. \u201cWe can check through the SAVE program to find out if folks end up on our voter rolls. They could be legal residents but not citizens. We want to make sure that gets clarified.\u201d<\/p>\n Coldwater City Council President Britt Lenertz<\/strong>\u00a0said Ceballos convened a special meeting following the announcement.<\/p>\n \u201cOur focus remains on ensuring that city operations continue to run smoothly and that the needs of our community are met,\u201d Lenertz said. \u201cWe will allow the proper legal process to take its course before making any further comments.\u201d<\/p>\n City officials said Ceballos may finish his current two-month term but cannot remain mayor unless his citizenship is approved.<\/p>\n Kansas AG files charges against newly reelected mayor for voting as non-US citizen<\/p>\n The\u00a0Kansas Attorney General\u2019s\u00a0office has filed criminal charges against a well-liked, newly re-elected\u00a0small-town\u00a0mayor who is alleged to have voted despite not having U.S. citizenship.<\/p>\n Attorney General\u00a0Kris Kobach\u00a0said Jose \u201cJoe\u201d Ceballos, 54, is a Mexican citizen with legal permanent residency in the United States but is not a citizen. Ceballos was re-elected as mayor this week by residents of Coldwater, a community of 687 people in southwestern Kansas.<\/p>\n Ceballos is being charged with three counts apiece of\u00a0election perjury\u00a0and voting without being qualified, Kobach said Wednesday at a\u00a0press conference. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 68 months\u2019 imprisonment and $200,000 in fines.<\/p>\n A hearing on the charges is set for Dec. 3.<\/p>\n Skip Herd, Coldwater city attorney, told Wichita’s\u00a0KWCH-TV\u00a0that Ceballos, who he said holds a green card, drew “red flags” by applying for permanent citizenship.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s been a registered voter since 1990,” Herd told the news station. “He applied for citizenship in February of this year, and through that, raised the issue of whether he was a legal citizen,\u201d Herd said.<\/p>\n The state’s charges are based on Ceballos\u2019 votes in the general elections of 2022 and 2023 as well as the 2024 primary election, but Kobach said Ceballos was a registered voter prior to those elections. Ceballos did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Coldwater City Council president Britt Lenertz\u00a0issued a statement\u00a0saying the mayor had convened council members for a special meeting on Wednesday to discuss the situation.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this time, our focus remains on ensuring that city operations continue to run smoothly and that the needs of our community are met,\u201d Lenertz said. \u201cWhile the recent allegations involving the mayor are understandably concerning, we will allow the proper legal process to take its course before making any further comments.\u201d<\/p>\n Lenertz told KWCH that Ceballos, who has also served as a city council member, has been informed he can complete the remaining two months of his ongoing mayoral term but that she will subsequently take over as mayor unless his citizenship is approved before then. The situation, she said, has been difficult for a community that has rallied around the longtime public official.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a mayor, he\u2019s done a wonderful job,\u201d she told the news outlet. \u201cAs a city councilmember, he\u2019s done a wonderful job. He\u2019s always put our community first in everything he does.\u201d<\/p>\n Kobach said Kansas law requires city officers to be qualified electors, who in turn are required to be U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n \u201cNoncitizen voting is a real problem,\u201d Kobach said. \u201cIt\u2019s not something that happens once in a decade.\u201d Kansas is among several states, he said, now utilizing the federal\u00a0Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements\u00a0system, or\u00a0SAVE, to verify citizenship status among their registered voter rolls. Tennessee, Florida and Ohio are also using the system, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only way you can discover that a noncitizen is on the voter rolls is if some sort of external information comes to light which indicates that person is not a U.S. citizen,\u201d he said. \u201cIn large part, our system right now is based on trust \u2013 trust that when the person signs the registration saying he\u2019s a qualified elector or U.S. citizen, that the person is telling the truth. In this case we allege that Mr. Ceballos violated that trust.\u201d<\/p>\n Kansas Secretary of State\u00a0Scott Schwab\u00a0said the system now allows state officials to determine if registered voters, whether intentionally or by clerical error, are on the rolls.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they voted, then it\u2019s a crime,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s important that we clean this up.\u201d<\/p>\n Schwab said the effort is less about looking for criminal behavior than restoring\u00a0voter trust.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about showing the people of Kansas that we are doing what we can to make sure you know our voter rolls are as clean as we can,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not a witch hunt.\u201d<\/p>\n He said it will be up to Coldwater city officials to determine whether or not Ceballos should be seated as mayor, \u201cbut the law says he should not be, because he\u2019s not a lawful elector.\u201d<\/p>\n President\u00a0Donald Trump\u00a0recently commended\u00a0Schwab, a Republican campaigning for the state governor\u2019s seat in 2026, for using the SAVE system to \u201cprotect the integrity of our elections.\u201d<\/p>\n Kobach said he anticipates that the SAVE system will help the state expose \u201chundreds\u201d of noncitizen voters. Every noncitizen vote, he said, effectively cancels out the vote of a U.S. citizen.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t know how large a number it\u2019s going to be, but early indications are that it\u2019s a very large number,\u201d he said. \u201cWe will have to see and decide which to prosecute.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Kansas leaders charged Joe Ceballos, the mayor of a small city in rural Kansas, with a crime on Wednesday. They say he voted in several elections even though he is not a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18039\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Each charge is a non-person felony; together they could carry a sentence of more than five years in prison.<\/p>\n