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Cochise County supervisors Peggy Judd, 61, and Tom Crosby, 64,
conspired to delay the certification of votes cast in Cochise
County in the November 2022 general election, according to the
state indictment.
Judd and Crosby did not immediately return Reuters' requests for
comment.
The two supervisors sought delays including by requesting hand
counts of ballots as they raised questions about whether county
voting machines were properly certified, even though they had
received legal advice that such delays would be illegal, the
Arizona Republic reported.
"The repeated attempts to undermine our democracy are
unacceptable," Mayes said in a statement. "I took an oath to
uphold the rule of law, and my office will continue to enforce
Arizona's elections laws and support our election officials as
they carry out the duties and responsibilities of their
offices."
If convicted, they face a penalty of up to 2 1/2 years in prison
and a $150,000 fine, the Arizona Republic said.
The tactic of questioning voting machines was also used by
supporters of former President Donald Trump following the 2020
presidential election as part of his false claims that election
fraud put Joe Biden in the White House. Trump now faces federal
and Georgia state charges over his efforts to undo his election
defeat.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; editing by Donna Bryson and Stephen
Coates)
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