In a recent case out of Arizona, rural Republican official Peggy Judd has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after facing charges for failing to certify the 2022 midterm election results by the state’s deadline.
The Cochise County Supervisor was initially indicted in November on felony counts of conspiracy and election interference. Judd, along with another Republican supervisor, Tom Crosby, delayed certification, citing unproven concerns about ballot tabulation machines.
On Monday, Judd accepted a misdemeanor charge for neglecting her duties as an election officer, thereby dodging a felony record. As part of her sentence, she will serve 90 days of unsupervised probation and pay a $500 fine.
Attorney General Kris Mayes stated, “Any attempt to interfere with elections in Arizona will not be tolerated,” emphasizing the commitment to uphold electoral integrity in the state.
Judd’s attorney, Kurt Altman, expressed that she is relieved to have this resolved and can now move on.
Photo by John Moore/Getty Images
Before the 2022 election, Judd and Crosby had proposed a full hand count of ballots in Cochise County, a move they later retracted after a court deemed it illegal. They also insisted that the state’s Secretary of State verify the certification of voting machines prior to approving election results.
Ultimately, after missing the certification deadline, then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who later became governor, took them to court, where it was ruled they violated state law by delaying the process.
Crosby, who was also indicted, is set to stand trial in January and has pleaded not guilty.
Judd’s plea comes just weeks before the critical 2024 presidential election on November 5, where Arizona remains a pivotal battleground state, with Democrats aiming to maintain their recent electoral successes.