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GOP Kansas Rep. Charged With Voter Fraud for Allegedly Using a UPS Store as His Address

Steve Watkins said it was an unintentional mistake, calling the charges “hyper-political.”

Rep. Steve Watkins (R-KS) was charged with voter fraud Tuesday for allegedly using a UPS store as his address when voting in a local 2019 election. He faces three felony charges: interfering with and providing false information to law enforcement, voting without being qualified, and unlawful advance voting. Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay alleges Watkins listed a Topeka UPS branch on a change of address form to allow him to vote in a district he didn’t live in, one where the election was narrowly decided. Watkins faces an upcoming election, and he called the timing of the charges “suspicious” and “clearly hyper-political.” In a Tuesday night debate against Republican challengers, he said, “I haven’t done anything wrong. As soon as I realized that I had put my mailing address instead of my physical address, we fixed it.”