Arizona official pleads guilty to charge from 2022 election

Cochise County Supervisor Peggy Judd on Monday entered a guilty plea for refusing to perform her duty as an election officer. Judd and Supervisor Thomas Crosby were indicted in the Maricopa County Superior Court last year on felony charges of conspiracy and interference with an election officer. The charged supervisors, who were both Republicans, voted in November 2022 to delay certifying the election results amid concerns about the accuracy of the vote-counting machines. By pleading guilty, Judd avoided a felony conviction, retained the right to vote, and kept her seat on the county board of supervisors. She will be sentenced to unsupervised probation for 90 days and a maximum $500 fine, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a statement. Crosby reportedly is scheduled for a trial in January, and is running for reelection in November. 

What happened after Judd and Crosby delayed the certification? Then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs on Nov. 28 sued the board for failing to canvass the 2022 midterm elections. Arizona state law required municipalities to certify election results by Nov. 28 so the state could complete its certification by Dec. 8. Pima County Superior Court Judge Casey McGinley on Dec. 1 ordered the Cochise County Board of Supervisors to hold an emergency meeting to certify the results. Judd and Democratic board member Ann English both voted to approve the election results, while Crosby did not attend the emergency meeting. In 2023, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes included a provision in the Elections Procedures Manual that gives him the discretion to throw out the votes of a municipality if its results are not canvassed on time.

Dig deeper: Read my voter guide about the upcoming election in Arizona.