Coldwater woke up to a nightmare that seemed ripped from a political thriller. Just hours after voters had re‑elected their small‑town mayor, Kansas’ attorney general dropped a bombshell: Mayor Jose “Joe” Ceballos, a man trusted by generations of residents, allegedly never had the legal right to vote in the first place. The revelation hit like a hurricane, leaving a quiet town reeling in disbelief. For decades, the man who had led them, hosted community barbecues, and represented Coldwater in state meetings had been considered an American citizen—but now that certainty was gone. A green card, a decades-long paper trail, and countless signatures on ballots were suddenly under scrutiny, and the question on everyone’s lips was the same: who knew, and when did they know it? Continue reading…
