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Kobach, who has built a reputation as one of the toughest voices in America on voter ID and immigration laws, did not hold back when discussing the charges.
“Noncitizen voting is a real problem. It is not something that happens once in a decade. It is something that happens fairly frequently,” Kobach said.
The attorney general emphasized that while Kansas has systems in place to maintain accurate voter rolls — including cross-referencing federal databases — the process is not flawless. “In 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,” Kobach explained. “In this case, we allege that Mr. Ceballos violated that trust.”
Kobach noted that his office has “unassailable evidence” showing Ceballos voted despite not being a citizen. He also pointed out that city officials like mayors are required by law to be U.S. citizens — though he added that violation of that rule alone is not a criminal offense.
This is far from the first time Kobach has taken aim at noncitizen voting. During his time as Kansas Secretary of State, he spearheaded efforts to require proof of citizenship for voter registration — a policy that later faced intense legal challenges.
In 2018, a federal court struck down his attempt to enforce that rule, ruling that it violated federal election laws. The judge wrote that Kansas’s requirement “could not be justified by the scant evidence of noncitizen voter fraud before and after the law was passed.”
Despite that setback, Kobach has remained a staunch advocate for tightening election security. Under his leadership as Attorney General, Kansas has started using a federal immigration database to cross-check voter registrations, a move officials say will help uncover additional irregularities like the one involving Ceballos.
Ceballos is scheduled to make his first court appearance on December 3. On Election Day, he appeared on the ballot for re-election as mayor, though official results have not yet been certified.
If convicted, Ceballos could face years in prison and serve as an example in a broader national debate over the integrity of America’s elections.
The case emerges at a tense political moment, as Washington continues grappling with a government shutdown nearing 40 days. Democrats in Congress have demanded “bipartisan” negotiations to end the standoff, even though Senate Democrats have repeatedly blocked GOP efforts to fund the government.
Reports suggest that negotiators may be working on a “three-legged” plan to reopen federal operations — one that would involve new votes on healthcare tax credits, temporary spending bills, and key military and agricultural funding measures.
While the political battles rage on in D.C., Kansas officials say their focus remains on defending the integrity of the vote — and ensuring that only American citizens are deciding the future of their communities.
