Posted July 15, 2020 04:02am
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A freshman Kansas congressman who had listed a UPS Inc. store as his residence on a voter registration form has been charged with three felony crimes, including unlawful voting.
2nd District Republican Representative Steve Watkins is accused of voting illegally in advance in the 2019 local city and school board election, voting when not qualified and interfering with law enforcement by providing false information.
Those felony charges were filed Tuesday in state district court in Shawnee County, which includes Watkins’ hometown of Topeka.
District Attorney Mike Kagay also charged Watkins with a misdemeanor charge of failing to notify the state of an address change.
Watkins called the charges “hyper-partisan.”