Cochise County District 3 Supervisor Peggy Judd. November 28, 2023.
Republican Cochise County Supervisor Peggy Judd pleaded guilty to a failure or refusal to perform duty by an election officer, a class 3 misdemeanor charge, Monday morning.
In November last year, Judd, along with fellow Republican supervisor Tom Crosby, was indicted by the State Grand Jury on felony counts of Interference with an Election Officer and Conspiracy. Those charges came due to the delay in canvassing the 2022 general election.
During that time, Crosby and Judd did not vote to canvass the election, which caused the county to be the only one to fail to meet the state’s deadline. AZPM News reported that the delay was due to concerns about the accuracy of the vote tabulation machines. However, the Arizona Secretary of State’s Election Services Director reassured the board that the machines were certified for accuracy.
It was not until then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat and now the state’s governor, filed a lawsuit against the supervisors for their refusal, which forced Judd to vote. Crosby did not attend the Dec. 1, 2022 emergency meeting. That left Judd and Democratic Supervisor Ann English to vote, where they both approved the election results. However, when Judd cast her vote she said she did not regret her actions.
“I am a rule of law person but I had statutes in front of me that said something to me,” Judd said at the December 1, 2022 emergency meeting. “And I am not ashamed of anything I did. And today, I feel I must because of a court ruling …I feel like I must follow what the judge did today.”
In her signed plea deal, Judd agreed that she "knowingly" refused to perform her duty to canvass the election.
"I voted to delay the canvass during a public Cochise County Board of Supervisors meeting," the deal read. "I knew that the canvass would be delayed if one other supervisor voted with me."
Judd will now face 90 days of unsupervised probation and pay a $500 fine.
"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,” Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a press release. “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."
AZPM News reached out to the attorney general’s office asking if there will be a plea deal for Crosby. They declined to comment.
AZPM News requested comment from Judd, but she did not respond. Judd is not seeking re-election, but Crosby is on the ballot looking for another term this fall.
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