The Cochise County Board of Supervisors is asking Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, to weigh in on local election operations.
The board’s letter to Gabbard, which was approved in a regular meeting on Tuesday, requests a federal review of voting system accreditation and certification standards. A supervisor described the letter as a "tiny little piece" of the process to restore public confidence and integrity in the election system. One speaker called it baseless.
In a letter dated Feb. 24, board chair Frank Antenori asks for information related to the accreditation of Voting System Test Laboratories, or VSTLs, and the certification of voting systems software used in Arizona elections.
The board cites Arizona law that requires voting systems to comply with federal standards and be tested by laboratories accredited by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, or EAC. Federal voting system certification is overseen by the EAC, an independent federal agency created by Congress.
During the public hearing, speaker Allison Morse voiced strong opposition to the letter, criticizing the inquiry as a “futile attempt to uncover some dubious shred of evidence."
Vice-Chair Tom Crosby said the board is not alleging fraud or conducting a criminal investigation, but instead seeking clarification about how voting system laboratories are accredited and how certifications are issued. He said the county wants to verify the standards governing the equipment used locally.
Crosby criticized the EAC, describing it as “non-existent or dysfunctional,” and raised concerns about what he characterized as “eternal accreditation” for testing laboratories.
“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,” the letter states.
In a separate letter to members of Congress earlier this month, Gabbard described election interference as a national security threat and asserted her purview over election security.
Crosby referenced Gabbard’s letter to justify why the board’s request for clarification was directed at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Gabbard also wrote to members of Congress that there is no intelligence indicating U.S. voting systems have been successfully exploited to alter vote results.
The Cochise County supervisors asked Gabbard’s office to review accreditation standards for laboratories that test voting systems — a role typically overseen by EAC.
Crosby and former Supervisor Peggy Judd, both Republicans, were indicted in 2023 on felony charges related to their delay in certifying Cochise County’s 2022 midterm election results. Crosby and Judd said they wanted to hear arguments about whether the voting machines were properly certified.
At the time, then-Supervisor Ann English, a Democrat, voted to certify the results.
The office of Arizona's state Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, brought the charges. Both initially denied wrongdoing.
Judd accepted a plea deal in 2023 to a lesser charge of refusing to perform the duty of an election officer, which is a misdemeanor.
Court records show Crosby argued that his actions were protected by legislative immunity and that charges were improperly filed in Maricopa County. Court rulings later rejected arguments that Crosby was protected by legislative immunity. The Arizona Supreme Court declined to hear his appeal, sending the case back to Maricopa County Superior Court.
As of Wednesday, court records show the judge in Crosby’s case scheduled a status conference for April 6 to address trial scheduling and any pending motions.
