Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday announced he is commuting the sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who was facing more than eight years in state prison for allowing unauthorized access to voting machines following the 2020 presidential election.
Polis’ decision — which was swiftly condemned by other Colorado Democrats — follows months of pressure from President Trump to release Peters, who has promoted Mr. Trump’s false claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. The president had threatened “harsh measures” if Colorado did not free Peters from prison.
Polis has said for months that he would consider granting clemency to Peters, but he gave no indication about a timeline for such an action. On Friday afternoon, the governor made the announcement by sending out a news release stating he is granting pardons and commutations to 44 people, including Peters.
Peters will be granted parole, effective on June 1, according to Polis. The decision does not wipe away her conviction.
Peters was convicted last summer on seven counts, including attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation and official misconduct.
Prosecutors have alleged that in 2021, Peters and others “devised and executed a deceptive scheme” to cause an unauthorized person to access Mesa County voting machines. Images from the county’s voting equipment later showed up online. Prosecutors said that Peters — who was aligned with national figures who have falsely claimed that voting machines were rigged in 2020 — became “fixated” on alleged voting problems.
At a sentencing hearing late last year, Judge Matthew Barrett called Peters a “charlatan” and “as defiant as a defendant as this court has ever seen.”
In a letter to Peters on Friday, the governor called her multiyear prison term “an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first time offender who committed nonviolent crimes.” Polis also said he agreed with a state appeals court ruling that found last month the trial court judge who sentenced Peters had put too much weight on her beliefs about election fraud. The appellate court had upheld Peters’ conviction but ordered her to be resentenced.
“Importantly, your application demonstrates taking responsibility for your crimes, and a commitment to follow the law going forward,” Polis continued.
The governor told The Colorado Sun on Friday that Peters was given an “unduly harsh sentence” due to “her incorrect and unpopular speech.” He also noted that he was not pardoning Peters: “She’s a convicted felon. She deserves to be a convicted felon. She will remain a convicted felon.”
Mr. Trump celebrated the move on Friday, writing on Truth Social: “FREE TINA!”
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold quickly condemned the decision to grant clemency, calling it a “gross injustice to our elections, election workers and democracy with far reaching consequences.”
Democratic Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper both spoke out about the commutation.
“She broke the law, undermined our elections, and was convicted by a jury of her peers,” said Bennet, who is running to replace Polis as governor.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat, called the decision “mind-boggling and wrong as a matter of basic justice.”
“Caving in to this president will only lead to more abuse from the bullying Trump administration. Today is a sad day for Colorado and the rule of law,” he said in a statement.
