Detective alleges Watkins falsely claimed he didn’t vote in Topeka city council race
Kansas Congressman Steve Watkins falsely told a detective he didn’t vote in a 2019 Topeka city council election, according to allegations made in an affidavit in support of criminal charges against Watkins.
The document also alleges Watkins told the Shawnee County Sheriff’s detective he didn’t sign an advance ballot application ahead of the election but that he would have directed an employee to complete it.
Watkins is charged with illegally voting in the 2019 election, as well as lying to law enforcement. In total, he faces three felony charges and a misdemeanor.
The affidavit paints the fullest picture yet of the criminal case against Watkins filed by Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay and the evidence prosecutors are relying on. It details, for the first time, the false statement Watkins is alleged to have made and outlines how the detective conducted her investigation.
The release of the affidavit, requested by The Kansas City Star and other news outlets, comes less than a week before the first-term GOP congressman faces State Treasurer Jake LaTurner and Dennis Taylor in the Republican primary for the Kansas 2nd Congressional District.
The charges were an explosive development in the race and Watkins has called the timing political. His attorneys are seeking to disqualify Kagay from pursuing the case, arguing he faces a conflict of interest for using the same direct mail vendor as LaTurner.
Prosecutors allege Watkins voted in the wrong district in a 2019 Topeka city council election and listed a UPS Store as his home address. In an interview with The Star on Tuesday, Watkins acknowledged voting in the wrong district and listing the store as his home address, but called it a “mistake” not a felony.
Dicken’s affidavit says surveillance video of the Topeka Driver’s License Office and documents show Watkins changed the address on his drivers license and voter registration to list the UPS Store on August 28, 2019.
“Mr. Watkins told me he moves a lot. He did not intend to mislead anyone. He further explained he obviously wasn’t trying to claim he lives at the UPS Store,” Dicken wrote.
Watkins is also charged with lying to a Shawnee County detective during a Feb. 10 interview. The affidavit, filed by Shawnee County Sheriff’s Detective Stephanie Dicken, alleges that during the interview Watkins acknowledged that while he may have voted in the wrong city council election, he “went on to tell me that he actually didn’t vote for city council.”
Dicken wrote in the affidavit that in June she reviewed a batch of seven mail-in ballots that included Watkins’.
“The poll book for this small group of ballots indicated there were no blank ballots in that group. Therefore, Mr. Watkins’ statement to me that he did not vote in the City Council District 8 election is presumed to be false,” Dicken wrote.
According to Dicken, she showed Watkins his application for an advance ballot. He replied that it wasn’t his handwriting or signature on the document, “but he would have authorized a staffer to complete that document for him.”
Watkins has previously denied blaming his staff for the incorrect documents, but has also described their completion as a “collegial effort.”
“My office like every other office, the product that we produce is a collegial effort between more than one person. That’s all I was saying. It was taken out of context,” Watkins told The Star Tuesday.
Watkins’ campaign shrugged off the evidence in the affidavit and asserted the prosecution is an effort to boost LaTurner in the upcoming primary.
“Every day that goes by, we learn just how weak and politically motivated the DA’s office is. Congressman Watkins - as he has said from day one - made a simple clerical error and immediately corrected it. The real investigation needs to be of Jake LaTurner and this corrupt prosecutor who have colluded in an attempt to manipulate Kansas voters,” said Watkins’ spokesman Bryan Piligra.
Watkins contended that receiving help from his staff on his personal registration form was not unusual, but the offices of Kansas Reps. Ron Estes, Roger Marshall and Sharice Davids confirmed that the state’s other three House members receive no such help from staff in registering to vote.
Watkins’ earliest court date in the case isn’t until November, likely ensuring the charges won’t be resolved until after the November general election.
This story was originally published July 29, 2020 at 4:55 PM.