Cochise County Supe Peggy Judd pleads guilty in election certification case, avoids felony

Cochise County Supervisor Peggy Judd
has entered into a plea deal to avoid a felony after she and another
supervisor delayed certifying the 2022 election over fears of
non-existent voter fraud in Maricopa County. 

Attorney General Kris Mayes announced Monday
that Judd entered into the agreement, pleading guilty to refusing to
perform the duty of an election officer, a class 3 misdemeanor. She will
be sentenced to unsupervised probation for 90 days and must pay a $500
fine. 

By avoiding a felony conviction, Judd
will be able to retain her right to vote — and her seat on the Cochise
County Board of Supervisors.

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

Judd and fellow Republican Supervisor Tom Crosby were both indicted last year
in Maricopa County Superior Court on felony charges of conspiracy and
interference with an election officer. GOP county supervisors across the
state faced intense pressure
to not certify the results of the 2022 election as unsubstantiated
fraud claims were spread by elected officials and right-wing
influencers. 

Judd and Crosby both voted to delay
certification of election results past the date state law requires
elections be canvassed, citing false claims that the ballot tabulators
in the county were not properly certified. The lone dissenting vote came
from Democrat Ann English. 

In November 2022, Judd told both the New York Times and the Daily Beast
that the delay in certifying the election — past the statutory deadline
— was a form of protest against Election Day problems that happened in
Maricopa County.

The election was ultimately certified after a judge ordered the supervisors
to perform their legal duty, but Cochise ended up being the only county
to miss the Nov. 28 certification deadline, putting the majority
Republican votes in the county at risk. 

Mayes’ original indictment accused
Judd and Crosby of knowingly planning to disobey the law, which was done
in public meetings, and interfering with Gov. Katie Hobbs’ ability to
complete the statewide canvas by the Dec. 5 deadline. 

A judge in Pima County last year also ordered the two to pay $36,000 in legal fees
for the secretary of state and the Arizona Alliance for Retired
Americans, who sued the supervisors for failing to certify the
election. 

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors has been a hot-bed of conspiratorial thinking as they also attempted to hand count ballots,
once again citing unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud and voting
machine manipulation. Arizona uses all paper ballots and the only
machines are used for disabled voters and counting ballots, neither of
which are connected to the internet. 

That effort was blocked by a Cochise
County Superior Court that said a full hand count was unlawful and the
ruling was confirmed by an Arizona appeals court. 

Judd did not respond to a request for comment from the Arizona Mirror.