### Arizona Election Official Accepts Plea Deal for Withholding Election Certification

A Republican county supervisor in rural Cochise County, Arizona, has made headlines by becoming the first person criminally sanctioned for refusing to certify an election since 2020. Peggy Judd, who serves as a supervisor, has agreed to a plea deal in which she pleads guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failing to perform an official duty as an election officer. This development was announced by Arizona's Democratic Attorney General, Kris Mayes, in a press release on Monday.

Under the terms of the plea deal, Judd will serve an unsupervised probation period of at least 90 days and will be subject to a maximum fine of $500. Notably, Judd remains in office and will oversee the upcoming presidential election and its certification process. The plea agreement stipulates that her probation lasts through the 2024 certification. Should she refuse to certify the upcoming election, she would be in violation of her probation and could face up to 30 days in jail.

This case has drawn national attention, acting as a litmus test for other areas in the U.S. where officials have considered not certifying election results. Election certification is typically viewed as a ministerial duty, not subject to political discretion. However, some Republican officials have adopted a stance of refusing certification based on unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud and election irregularities, causing significant confusion and potential delays.

According to a report by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, 35 local elected officials across eight states have previously refused to certify election results and may again be in a position to do so this year. Arizona stands out as the only state to have filed criminal charges against such officials.

Other states have had varied responses to similar actions. In North Carolina, two county election board members were removed for refusing to certify elections. In Nevada and Michigan, state officials' warnings about the illegality of refusing certification resulted in reversals and eventual certification by the officials involved.

Addressing the charges against Judd and another Cochise County supervisor, Kris Mayes emphasized the importance of these actions to deter others from attempting to interfere with elections. "Any attempt to interfere with elections in Arizona will not be tolerated," Mayes stated. "My office will continue to pursue justice and ensure that anyone who undermines our electoral system is held accountable."

While Judd's plea deal resulted in a lesser punishment than the original felony charges, Nikhel Sus, deputy chief counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, noted its significance. "She’s going to have a criminal plea on her record, which is significant in and of itself," Sus remarked.

In her plea agreement, Judd admitted that she knowingly refused to perform her certification duty. Outside the Phoenix courtroom, she contended that the charges were politically motivated, suggesting that a Republican attorney general would not have pursued the case against her.

"It’s a purely political game," Judd said, as reported by the Washington Post. "If we had a Republican attorney general right now, this never would have happened."