Arizona officials charged with allegedly conspiring to delay midterm election outcome

[wing2000]

More consequences from the 2022 election....

PHOENIX — Two Republican members of a county election board in southern Arizona were indicted by a state grand jury this week for allegedly flouting last year’s deadline to formally accept the results of the November 2022 midterm election.

Arizona Attorney Kris Mayes (D) on Wednesday announced the felony indictments of Cochise County supervisors Peggy Judd and Terry Thomas “Tom” Crosby. The two are charged with interference with an election officer and conspiracy. Neither responded to requests for comment.

The indictment alleges that the two knowingly interfered with the secretary of state’s ability to finish the statewide canvass for the election by delaying a vote to formally accept their county’s votes during the time period required by state law.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/29/cochise-county-arizona-midterm-election-criminal-charges/

 

[essentialsaltes]

In fact, Judd said at the time that she was aware she “might go to jail” for her vote.

ref

 

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Speaking of Cochise County...

How Cochise County got stuck with 10 tons of ballot paper it can’t use​

County Recorder David Stevens, who helps run elections, agreed in fall 2022 to participate in a Republican-initiated state grant program designed to test out security features such as watermarks and invisible fibers on ballots. But he didn’t anticipate how long it would take to get up and running.

Stevens missed the grant’s deadline and tried to get an extension. County officials decided instead to scrap the whole thing. But Stevens had already paid Runbeck Election Services $187,500 to order the massive rolls of ballot paper and commission the giant watermarking machine.

What to do with it? The state grant is over and there’s no county interest in spending local dollars to cut the paper into ballots or transport it, which would have costs thousands.

[So possibly a public auction.]

And, of course, there’s the question of whether selling the ballot paper could actually create the kind of election security risk the pilot was meant to prevent. [Instead of Chinese ballots with bamboo, there would be 10 tons of county ordered ballot-like paper in someone's private hands]

 

[essentialsaltes]

In fact, Judd said at the time that she was aware she “might go to jail” for her vote.

Arizona official who delayed 2022 election certification pleads guilty​

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.”

[Crosby still faces trial.]