Arizona official who delayed 2022 election certification pleads guilty

PHOENIX (AP) — One of two rural Arizona county supervisors who faced criminal charges for refusing to certify the 2022 midterm results by a state deadline pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor of failing to perform her duty as an election officer.

Coming two weeks before the Nov. 5 general election, the acknowledgment of guilt by Cochise County Supervisor Peggy Judd was seen by some as a warning to other Arizona county officials who might once again be pressured by election conspiracists not to certify the results.

“Judd’s official guilty plea represents an important development in securing election integrity in Arizona,” said Thomas Volgy, a former Tucson, Arizona, mayor and professor at the University of Arizona, where he specializes in democratic processes. “It should be a loud wake-up call to county elected officials that they cannot fiddle with the vote intentions of Arizonans for cheap partisan gain.”

Peter Bondi, managing director of the nonprofit group Informing Democracy, said in a statement that Judd’s plea “is a clear reminder that the duty to certify is not optional, and should deter every election official from attempting to subvert the will of voters.”

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“This is a victory for democracy, the rule of law, and most importantly for every voter who casts a ballot this year,” Bondi said.

Judd avoided a possible felony charge by entering the plea under an agreement reached in Maricopa County Superior Court, where the criminal case was filed. Judd will be sentenced to unsupervised probation for not less than 90 days and she will pay a maximum $500 fine, said a spokesperson for Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.

“We don’t have much of a comment except that she is super happy to put this behind her,” said Judd’s attorney Kurt Altman.

Judd and Tom Crosby, her fellow Republican on the three-member board, were indicted last year on felony charges of conspiracy and interference with an election officer after they delayed the state’s canvass. The third member of the board, Democrat Ann Crosby, had voted to certify the election.

The Cochise County results were ultimately certified past the deadline after a judge ordered Judd and Crosby to carry out their legal duties.

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

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

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

Crosby is still set to go to trial on the charge in January and is running for reelection in November. Judd did not seek to be reelected. When reached by email on Monday, Crosby seemed to have been unaware of Judd’s plea, but he did not respond to a request to comment on it.

Arizona was once reliably Republican, but Democrats have gained increased influence in recent years, especially in urban areas like Phoenix, which has become one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S. as people move in from other states for a growing number of jobs.