Colorado governor commutes sentence of election denier Tina Peters

"Polis wrote in a clemency letter to Peters that the nearly nine-year prison term was “extremely unusual and lengthy” for a first time offender who committed non-violent crimes. Peters, the former clerk in Mesa county in western Colorado, will be released on parole on 1 June after Polis reduced her sentence from eight and a half years in prison to about four and a half. Peters is currently incarcerated."

"In 2021, she allowed a former pro surfer named Conan Hayes to access the county's voting equipment and copy it and attend a sensitive upgrade of the county's voting software. Polis' decision validates Trump's basest impulses and emboldens this lawless president, said Jena Griswold, Colorado's top election official. He has learned now just how hard he needs to push and threaten the state of Colorado to get what he wants."

"Clemency also will embolden the election denial movement across the country and will leave a dark, dangerous imprint on American democracy for years to come, she said. You may hear suggestions that this clemency is simply bringing Tina Peters' punishment in line with the scope of her crimes. What it actually is is special treatment. Instead of waiting for Peters to be resentenced in the courts as directed by the Court of Appeals, she will be released from incarceration in the coming weeks."

"Matt Crane, the executive director of the Colorado Clerks Association, said the group was furious, disgusted, and deeply disappointed by the governor's decision. “We're starting to hear from election officials across the country that this signals that it's open season on our elections and election officials,” he said."

Colorado Governor Jared Polis commuted Tina Peters’ prison sentence, reducing it from about eight and a half years to about four and a half years. Peters, a former Mesa County clerk, will be released on parole on June 1 after serving time for non-violent offenses involving unauthorized access to county voting systems. Peters was convicted in 2024 of four felonies and three misdemeanors. In 2021, she allowed Conan Hayes to access voting equipment, copy it, and attend a sensitive voting software upgrade. Polis cited the unusual length of the sentence for a first-time offender. Colorado’s top election official and other election leaders criticized the clemency as special treatment that could embolden election denial and encourage further attacks on election administration.

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