Arizona official who delayed certification of 2022 election pleads guilty

PHOENIX — One of two rural Arizona county supervisors who faced criminal charges for refusing to review 2022 midterm results pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor count of failing to comply their functions as electoral officials.

Cochise County Supervisor Peggy Judd avoided a possible felony charge by pleading guilty under a deal reached in Maricopa County Superior Court, where the criminal case was filed. Judd and his attorney did not immediately respond to emailed requests for additional comment.

Judd and Tom Crosby, his fellow Republicans on the three-member board, were charged last year with misdemeanor counts of conspiracy and interference with an election official after delaying voting. The third board member, Democrat Ann Crosby, voted to certify the election. Cochise County’s results were ultimately certified after the deadline after a judge ordered Judd and Crosby to fulfill their legal obligations.

“Judd’s formal guilty plea represents an important step forward in ensuring the integrity of Arizona’s elections,” said Thomas Volgy, former mayor of Tucson, Arizona, and professor at the University of Arizona, where he specializes in democratic processes. “This should be a wake-up call to county elected officials that they cannot manipulate Arizonians’ voting intentions for cheap partisan gain.”

Judd will be sentenced to unsupervised probation for at least 90 days and she will pay a maximum fine of $500, said a spokesman for Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.

“Any attempt to interfere with Arizona’s elections will not be tolerated,” Mayes said in a statement after the plea was entered. “My office will continue to seek justice and ensure that anyone who undermines our election system is held accountable.

“Today’s plea agreement and sentencing should be a clear reminder that I will not hesitate to use every tool available to uphold the rule of law and protect the integrity of elections in Arizona,” he said. she added.

Judd and Crosby had sought to require a hand count of all the county’s ballots, amid widespread conspiracy theories about the integrity of the vote and chaotic public hearings that lasted hours. They also raised doubts about the accuracy of vote tabulation machines. Republicans lost gubernatorial and attorney general elections to Democrats in November 2022.

Crosby is still scheduled to stand trial on that charge in January and is running for re-election in November. Judd did not seek re-election. He did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment on Judd’s plea.

Arizona was once Republican, but Democrats have gained increasing influence in recent years, particularly in urban areas like Phoenix, which has become one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States, as People are coming from other states for an increasing number of jobs.