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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday commuted the sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, an election denier who was convicted and sentenced for her role in a breach of her office’s election system.
Polis cut Peters’ sentence from nine years to four years and four and a half months, making her eligible to be released on parole June 1.
“The crimes you were convicted of are very serious and you deserve to spend time in prison for these offenses,” Polis said in his letter granting Peters’ commutation. “However, this is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first time offender who committed nonviolent crimes.”
Polis’ decision to shorten Peters’ sentence was met with condemnation from other Democratic officials in the state.
“Today is a sad day for Colorado and the rule of law,” Phil Weiser, the attorney general, whose office helped prosecute Peters, said in a statement.
A Mesa County jury convicted Peters on multiple felony counts, including three counts of attempting to influence a public servant. During her 2024 trial, Peters, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, spread conspiracy theories about voting machines, as she had previously done after the 2020 presidential election.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, said Polis’ decision will “validate and embolden the election denial movement, and leave a dark, dangerous imprint on American democracy for years to come.”
Judge Matthew Barrett of the 21st Judicial District sentenced Peters to nine years in state prison in October 2024. The sentence included three and a half years for each felony count.
Polis has previously called Peters’ sentence “harsh,” and in March he suggested there was an unfair disparity between her sentence and that of a former state senator who was recently sentenced to probation for fabricating letters of support amid an ethics investigation.
In his commutation letter, Polis wrote that Peters’ application for clemency “demonstrates taking responsibility” for her crimes and showed a “commitment to follow the law going forward.” He did not mention remorse, a common criteria for clemency.
Polis’ commutation is a resounding victory for Trump and his allies in the election conspiracy theory movement, who have waged a scattershot campaign of legal maneuvering and political coercion seeking Peters’ release. One of the country’s most prominent election deniers, she was convicted on multiple felony counts in connection with a 2021 breach of her office’s secure elections equipment in a failed attempt to find evidence of fraud.
Trump in a social media post Friday afternoon wrote, “FREE TINA!”
Peters responds
In a statement addressed to Polis and shared Friday with Newsline, Peters acknowledged her wrongdoing and said she will “avoid the mistakes of the past.”
“I made mistakes, and for those I am sorry,” Peters wrote. “Five years ago I misled the Secretary of State when allowing a person to gain access to county voting equipment. That was wrong. I have learned and grown during my time in prison and going forward I will make sure that my actions always follow the law.”
John Case, Peters’ attorney, said Polis “corrected an unjust sentence” and Peters’ team is grateful for the governor’s commutation.
“Tina is very excited to know that she’s going to be released on June 1, and she plans to do a lot of good in the world when she gets out, including getting rid of these fraudulent voting machines, and getting changes made in the correctional system so that people like Tina don’t have to get sent to prisons where they’re housed with violent offenders who are capable and have assaulted other inmates, including her,” Case said in a phone call with Newsline.
Her attorneys plan to file a petition with the Colorado Supreme Court to overturn her conviction, Case said.
The Colorado Court of Appeals in April ruled that Peters’ sentence was “based in part on improper consideration of her exercise of her right to free speech,” and it ordered a lower court to resentence her. Polis cited this as part of his reasoning in reducing her sentence.
Clerks are ‘furious, disgusted’
The decision by Polis, a Democrat, comes over the objections of a chorus of voices from across Colorado’s political spectrum, including Weiser and Republican Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein, who jointly prosecuted Peters; every single Democratic member of the state Legislature; several prominent conservative commentators on state politics; and the bipartisan Colorado County Clerks Association, whose Republican president had tearfully urged Polis not to take a step she said would put election workers in harm’s way.
Matt Crane, the Republican executive director of the clerks association, said Friday that Peters’ actions have made life harder for election officials across the country.
“Rather than standing with those public servants and defending one of our nation’s most cherished rights, the right to vote, Governor Polis is bending the knee to the same political forces and conspiracy movements that are actively undermining confidence in our democratic institutions,” Crane said in a statement. “That choice carries consequences far beyond this single case.” He added that the association is “furious, disgusted, and deeply disappointed” in Polis’ decision.
State Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, a Republican candidate for governor, said in a statement she disagreed with the commutation.
“The court process was still ongoing, and I believe this matter would have been best handled through the judicial system rather than through executive action,” Kirkmeyer said.
Trump has targeted Colorado over the state’s incarceration of Peters, whom he illegitimately pardoned in December. The president threatened “harsh measures” if she isn’t released, which have included the veto of a unanimously passed bill to fund a southern Colorado water project, the denial of two disaster declaration requests, and the proposed dismantling of Boulder’s National Center for Atmospheric Research.
Weiser, who is running for governor, said Polis’ commutation of Peters “is mind-boggling and wrong as a matter of basic justice.” He reiterated that she was convicted by a jury and said the judge imposed a reasonable sentence considering her criminal conduct and her lack of remorse for her crimes.
“Caving in to this president will only lead to more abuse from the bullying Trump administration,” Weiser said in his statement.
Statement from Tina Peters
Thank you Gov Polis.
I made mistakes, and for those I am sorry. Five years ago I misled the Secretary of State when allowing a person to gain access to county voting equipment. That was wrong. I have learned and grown during my time in prison and going forward I will make sure that my actions always follow the law, and I will avoid the mistakes of the past.
I strongly condemned it when people not connected to me threatened to storm the prison I am in. I myself have faced threats, so, I also want to be clear that I condemn any and all bullying, threats and acts of violence against voters, county clerks, election workers, and other public officials, and concerned citizens like myself.
Upon release, I plan to do my best through legal means to support election integrity and based on my own personal experiences to elevate the cause of prison reform to help ensure the detention system is more fair and equitable for people of all ages. My experiences have given me a perspective that plan to share with others to improve Colorado’s corrections system. I am grateful for a second chance and an earlier release, and I look forward to doing good in the world.
Chase Woodruff contributed to this report.
by Lindsey Toomer, Colorado Newsline
Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Colorado Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Quentin Young for questions: [email protected].
