PHOENIX (AP) — One of two rural Arizona county supervisors who faced criminal charges for refusing to canvass the 2022 midterm results pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor count of failing to perform her duty as an election officer.
Cochise County Supervisor Peggy 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 and her attorney did not immediately return emailed requests for additional comment.
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 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.
“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.”
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.
“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. He did not immediately respond on Monday to a request for comment on Judd’s plea.
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.
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