TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities plan to investigate whether a freshman Kansas congressman broke state laws by listing a UPS Inc. store as his address on a voter registration form and for obtaining a mail-in ballot in a November election.
The questions about Rep. Steve Watkins come as some fellow Republicans hope to oust him during the August 2020 primary. State Treasurer Jake LaTurner is challenging him for the GOP nomination, having jumped into the race at the urging of former Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer.
Watkins' spokesman said Wednesday that the congressman's use of the UPS store's address in southwest Topeka was an inadvertent mistake that will be corrected. But Watkins' use of the address raised questions about the legality of his last registration and whether he improperly voted Nov. 5 in local races and on a state ballot question.