Arizona county supervisor pleads guilty after delaying 2022 election certification

A Cochise County supervisor pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor after delaying the certification of the 2022 election, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) announced Monday.

Republican county supervisor Peggy Judd "acknowledged that she failed to canvass the election as required by law and agreed to plead guilty to Failure or Refusal to Perform Duty by an Election Officer, a Class 3 misdemeanor," the attorney general's office said.

"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 statement Monday. "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."

The plea deal included a sentence of unsupervised probation for not less than 90 days and a maximum $500 fine.

Last year, Judd and fellow Republican Cochise County Supervisor Tom Crosby were indicted on felony offenses for initially declining to certify the 2022 election. After a judge ordered the supervisors to certify the election, Judd voted in favor of certification with the Democratic supervisor.

Mayes was elected in the 2022 election but her race faced an election challenge lawsuit from GOP attorney general nominee Abe Hamadeh, who lost the court case.