Former Kansas Rep. Watkins signs agreement to avoid prosecution in voter fraud case
Former Kansas Congressman Steve Watkins has entered into a diversion agreement with the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office to avoid a criminal trial in the voter fraud case that came to define his brief tenure in Congress.
Watkins, a Topeka Republican who served one term in the U.S. House, faced three felony charges related to voting in the wrong Topeka city council district in the 2019 municipal election.
Watkins used the address of a UPS store for his voter registration. In addition to charges of voting illegally, Watkins was accused of interference with law enforcement for lying to a Shawnee County detective who investigated the matter.
“I regret the error in my voter registration paperwork that led to these charges. I fully cooperated from the beginning and had no intent to deceive any one, at any time. I am glad to resolve the ordeal,” Watkins said in a statement Tuesday.
A diversion is an agreement by which a defendant can avoid prosecution if certain conditions are met. The agreement called for Watkins to stipulate that the facts in the charging documents against him were true — including that he provided false information to the detective.
“I told Detective Dicken that I did not intend to vote in the wrong city council election. However, I told Detective Dicken that I did not vote for the city council race,” Watkins stipulated.
“I acknowledge that a review of the mail-in ballots indicate that my representation to Detective Dicken, that I did not vote for the City Council election, was false,” he stipulated.
Under the diversion agreement entered into Monday, Watkins’ prosecution will be deferred for six months. If he adheres to its the terms, the case will be dropped by September. If he doesn’t, the DA’s office can revoke the agreement.
The standard diversion terms include that Watkins may commit no violations of local, state federal law, he must pay $250 fee and may not possess any weapons for the duration of the diversion.
Watkins applied for a diversion in February, said Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay.
“Upon reviewing all relevant factors, the application for diversion was approved and a diversion agreement was then executed by the parties. The Agreement was filed with the Court yesterday afternoon,” Kagay said in an email.
The agreement, officially signed and filed Monday, ends one of the strangest sagas in recent Kansas political history.
Watkins, a Topeka native who spent most of his adult life in other states, was narrowly elected in 2018 after a campaign in which he faced questions about both his residency and voting record. Watkins had never voted in any election before announcing his run for Congress.
The Topeka Capital-Journal uncovered Watkins’ use of the UPS store address in 2019 on his voter registration, which obscured that he was temporarily living at his parents’ home in another part of the city.
The story prompted a seven-month investigation by Kagay’s office. He announced charges against the fellow Republican in July of 2020, just moments before Watkins was set to begin a televised debate ahead of the August Republican primary.
Watkins repeatedly accused Kagay of charging him to aid GOP primary rival Jake LaTurner, who went onto win both the primary and the general election. Both LaTurner and Kagay rejected the claim.
In an interview with The Star two weeks after the charges were announced, Watkins acknowledged voting at the wrong address but denied wrongdoing.
He referred to his voter registration form as a “collegial effort,” indicating that he had relied on his official congressional staff to help complete the form.
The Star’s Jonathan Shorman contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Former Kansas Rep. Watkins signs agreement to avoid prosecution in voter fraud case."
