Cochise County leaders are asking National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard to investigate debunked concerns about the certification of voting machines in Arizona.
As first reported by Votebeat, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted on Feb. 24 to ask Gabbard to look into the accreditation of laboratories tasked with testing voting machines.
This is the second time the board has questioned the security of the voting machine checking system.
In 2022, the Cochise supervisors delayed certifying county election results.
They said that’s partly because they had doubts about the accreditation of the same laboratories — even though the United States Election Assistance Commission confirmed they are properly accredited.
That delay resulted in charges against two of the supervisors for election interference and conspiracy. One, Peggy Judd, took a plea deal.
The other, Tom Crosby, is still awaiting trial.
In a letter, the board asks Gabbard to investigate the commission’s practices and the validity of the laboratory certifications.
“The Board of Supervisors has a constitutional and statutory obligation to ensure compliance with election law. We therefore request your office’s assistance in providing clarification on these matters. Please inform us of any documentation that may assist in fulfilling our duties,” the letter states.
Crosby and board Chair Frank Antenori said at the February meeting that they’re not on a fishing expedition for criminal activity, they’re simply asking questions.
“The issue is the EAC [U.S. Election Assistance Commission],” Crosby said.
Crosby and Antenori were the only two supervisors who voted to send the letter to Gabbard. The third county supervisor, Kathleen Gomez, did not attend the meeting.
The supervisors had sent the same request for investigation to the U.S. Department of Justice last year.
He claimed the commission is “either nonexistent or dysfunctional” and that their certifications of election equipment should not be valid indefinitely.
The board did not respond to a request for comment about their letter.
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