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Cochise supervisors direct chair to send DOJ letter on voting-system accreditation
Summary
At a Sept. 16 special meeting, the Cochise County Board of Supervisors voted 3-0 to direct Chair Frank Antinori to sign a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice about Voting System Test Laboratory accreditation and certification after an executive session held under ARS 38-431.03(A)(3).
Cochise County supervisors voted 3-0 on Sept. 16 to direct Board Chair Frank Antinori to sign a letter to the U.S. Department of Justice concerning accreditation and certification of a Voting System Test Laboratory (VSTL).
The vote followed a public motion to discuss and possibly take action on a letter to the Department of Justice and a board-approved executive session held under Arizona Revised Statutes §38-431.03(A)(3). The board entered executive session at about 1:41 p.m. and returned at about 2:52 p.m., according to the public record. Under the cited statute, minutes and discussions in executive session are confidential.
The matter has been on the board’s radar for months: supervisors referenced a June 19 work session and a presentation on Aug. 5 by a presenter identified in meeting materials as Mr. Rice. In the public portion of the Sept. 16 meeting a speaker stated the issue had been removed in federal court and that the action had been set for 12/01/2022 before being "squashed." The transcript does not specify parties or a court order; the board did not disclose executive-session deliberations.
After the executive session, a supervisor moved "that we direct the chair, Frank Antinori, to sign the letter in the name of Frank Antinori to the Department of Justice." The motion was seconded, and the board voted "aye" three times; the clerk announced the motion passed, 3-0. The board said a copy of the letter would be attached to the agenda for the meeting and posted on the county website.
Board members present for the special meeting were identified in roll call as District 1 Supervisor Crosby, District 2 Supervisor Gomez and District 3 Supervisor Anton Reiser. County staff and counsel listed as present included Dylan Hindell, County Attorney (identified in the record as Missyko), Deputy County Attorney Correa (civil-division chief), Joe Casey and an individual identified only as Mr. Kraya. The meeting notice and the supervising official reiterated that the public could attend by Microsoft Teams or the mobile app.
Because the board relied on ARS §38-431.03(A)(3) to convene the executive session, the content of their closed deliberations is not reflected in the public transcript. The publicly stated outcome is limited to the board’s direction to the chair to sign and transmit the letter and the statement that the letter will be made available with the meeting materials on the county website.
