Arizona Official Who Delayed 2022 Election Certification Pleads Guilty

LOADING ERROR LOADING PHOENIX — One of two rural Arizona county supervisors who faced criminal charges for refusing to certify the 2022 midterm results by a state deadline pleaded guilty Monday to a misdemeanor of failing to perform her duty as an election officer. “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.” Cochise County Supervisor Peggy Judd at a public meeting on Dec. 1, 2022, in Sierra Vista, Arizona. Mark Levy/Pool Photo via AP, File Peter Bondi, managing director of the nonprofit group Informing Democracy, said in a statement that Judd’s plea “is a clear reminder that the duty to certify is not optional, and should deter every election official from attempting to subvert the will of voters.” “This is a victory for democracy, the rule of law, and most importantly for every voter who casts a ballot this year,” Bondi said.