A Kansas mayor charged with illegally voting as a noncitizen has done so 29 times since 2000, according to an independent elections watchdog.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach on Wednesday charged Coldwater Mayor Jose Ceballos with three counts of voting without being qualified and three counts of election perjury. Ceballos is a legal permanent resident and citizen of Mexico, thus ineligible to vote.

The charges, which came just hours after Ceballos won reelection to lead the southwest town of 820, stem from his voting in the 2022 general election; the 2023 local election; and the 2024 primary.

The charges are felonies for which Ceballos could serve more than five years in prison.

“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,” Kobach said at a Wednesday press conference.

However, a respected Kansas elections watchdog, retired data Scientist Earl F. Glynn, alleges in a Substack article that Ceballos has voted 29 times going back to 2000.

“Voter history information from voter files shows Ceballos voted 29 times from the presidential general election in Nov. 2000 (GN2000) through the presidential election in Nov. 2024 (GN2024),” Glynn writes.

The Heartlander has asked both the attorney general’s and secretary of state’s offices if they can confirm Ceballos voted 29 times – and if so, whether the statute of limitations had any role in the number of charges brought against him.

Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab acknowledged at Wednesday’s press conference he never thought such vote fraud was taking place – and actually wanted to prove it wasn’t – but that the attorney general should prepare for more cases to come.

“I was never really a big believer this happened,” Schwab admitted. “I always came from the angle of, let’s prove it’s not happening, and then we get the data, and it’s important we clean this up.”

Yet, he told Kobach, “We’re currently verifying. We don’t want any false positives – but attorney general, be prepared to be busy as we go through these and find out potential positives of people who are non-U.S. citizens that have voted.”

Thad Snider, another self-styled Kansas election watchdog who’s been blowing the whistle on what he sees as loose election security, heralded what he sees as the secretary of state’s belated discovery that fraud does indeed occur.

“When a non-U.S. citizen can vote at least 29 times in Kansas elections and even become mayor of a Kansas town, the system is not just unreliable – it’s an open invitation to widespread illegal voting across the state,” Snider said in a statement to The Heartlander.

“Four years ago, those of us who raised the alarm were smeared as ‘domestic bad actors’ and ‘conspiracy theorists.’ Today, we are being vindicated.

“And with President Trump and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard now exposing the vulnerabilities of electronic voting machines and mail-in ballots, the full truth is only beginning to emerge. The citizens of Kansas who courageously questioned the fraud-ridden system that Schwab and Kobach so fiercely defended will finally see justice.”

Ceballos, after winning reelection to a second term Tuesday, called the Coldwater City Council into special session just after noon on Wednesday to discuss the situation, council President Britt Lenertz wrote in a statement.

“At this time, our focus remains on ensuring that city operations continue to run smoothly and that the needs of our community are met. While 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. It’s important that we respect both due process and the integrity of our local government.”

The charges against Ceballos carry a maximum prison term of 68 months and up to $200,000 in fines, Kobach said.

Kobach said he anticipates ultimately finding hundreds of ineligible voters on the voter rolls.

Kansas House Committee on Elections Chair Pat Proctor, R-Leavenworth, wrote something of an “I told you” post on X following the charges against Ceballos:

“When I was fighting to pass the Citizens-Only Voting amendment (an amendment I sponsored that will be on the ballot in November 2026) the most common argument we heard from Democrats was that non-citizen voting wasn’t happening. To that, I present Exhibit A.”