Kansas Congressman charged with 3 felonies relating to his listed voting address

In Kansas, GOP Congressman Steve Watkins has been charged with voter fraud pertaining to the November 2019 election. Watkins, who represents Kansas' 2nd district, is charged with three felony counts and a misdemeanor.

Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay announced Tuesday that Watkins had been charged with unlawful advance voting, voting without being qualified, and providing false information to law enforcement. He is also charged with the failure to notify the DMV of an address change.

In December 2019, law enforcement launched an investigation into Watkins after he used a UPS Store in Topeka, Kansas as his address on a voter registration form. The address, which is inside his congressional district, was located in a city council district that held an election determined by just 13 votes in November 2019. 

Watkins called the charges "hyper-political" and "very suspicious."

"I haven't done anything wrong, as soon as I realized that I put my mailing address instead of my physical address, we fixed it… we've cooperated with the district attorney completely," said Watkins last evening during a Republican primary debate.  

The charges were announced less than an hour prior to the start of the debate, and less than one month before Kansas' August 4 congressional primary election.

In 2018, Watkins won his election by less than one point. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is still trying to flip his seat.

Watkins has been endorsed by the president and vice president.