Governor Jared Polis Commutes Sentence of Former Election Clerk Tina Peters
Colorado Governor Jared Polis commuted the sentence of Tina Peters, a former election clerk convicted for allowing unauthorized access to her county’s voting systems. The case had drawn significant attention from former President Donald Trump and his allies, who sought to challenge the results of the 2020 election.
Peters, currently incarcerated, will be released on parole on June 1 after Polis reduced her prison term from eight and a half years to approximately four and a half years. In a letter to Peters, Polis described the original sentence as unusually harsh for a first-time offender convicted of non-violent crimes.
“This is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first time offender who committed non-violent crimes,” Polis wrote.
Details of the Conviction
Tina Peters, formerly the clerk in Mesa County, western Colorado, was found guilty of four felonies and three misdemeanors. In 2021, she allowed Conan Hayes, a former professional surfer, to access and copy the county’s voting equipment and to attend a sensitive upgrade of the county’s voting software.
Hayes is associated with Mike Lindell, CEO of MyPillow, a prominent figure known for spreading misinformation about the 2020 election and efforts to overturn it. Sensitive passwords and data from Mesa County’s Dominion voting equipment were subsequently published online by right-wing personalities.
A judge sentenced Peters to eight and a half years in prison and six months in jail. During sentencing in 2024, Judge Matthew Barrett stated:
“You are no hero. You’re a charlatan who used, and is still using, your prior position in office to peddle a snake oil that’s been proven to be junk time and time again.”
However, an appeals court ordered a judge to reconsider the sentence.
Political Reactions and Support
Donald Trump, who continues to promote false claims about Dominion and the 2020 election, has repeatedly called for Peters’ release. He visited Peters last year, though the effort was largely symbolic since she was imprisoned for state crimes. Trump also urged the Department of Justice to intervene on her behalf.
“God Bless Tina Peters, who is now, for two years out of nine, sitting in a Colorado Maximum Security Prison, at the age of 73, and sick, for the ‘crime’ of trying to stop the massive voter fraud that goes on in her State (where people are leaving in record numbers!),” Trump wrote on Truth Social last year.
“Hard to wish her a Happy New Year, but to the Scumbag Governor, and the disgusting ‘Republican’ (RINO!) DA, who did this to her (nothing happens to the Dems and their phony Mail In Ballot System that makes it impossible for a Republican to win an otherwise very winnable State!), I wish them only the worst.”
Governor Polis’ Consideration of Clemency
Polis, a Democrat serving his second term as governor, had remained reserved about granting clemency for Peters for several months. However, in April 2024, he indicated he was leaning toward commuting her sentence. He compared Peters’ case to that of former state senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis, who was convicted of submitting forged letters to the legislature during an inquiry into alleged staff mistreatment.
Both Peters and Lewis were charged with attempting to influence a public official, but Lewis received probation and community service. Polis stated:
“Justice in Colorado and America needs to be applied evenly, you never know when you might need to depend on the rule of law. This is the context I am using as I consider cases like this that have sentencing disparities.”
Official Responses and Warnings
Colorado officials cautioned that comparing the two cases was inaccurate. Election officials warned that releasing Peters could send a harmful message regarding election security.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, said:
“Beyond one count in common, it is not accurate to suggest that Peters’s and Sonya Jaquez Lewis’s actions or impacts are the same.”
“Peters organized the breach of the election equipment, broke the public trust and attacked the very foundations of our democratic process,” Griswold added. “Her actions are still being used to try to undermine the 2026 election. She should get no special treatment by the Governor, and his statement is shocking and worrisome.”
Dan Rubinstein, the district attorney who prosecuted Peters, noted that sentencing ranges allow for different punishments for the same charge depending on circumstances.
“The same offense can be committed in very different ways and result in very different consequences,” Rubinstein said. “While the governor has the legal authority to modify a sentence, doing so here would be a gross injustice to the affected citizens I represent.”
Rubinstein made this statement earlier in June 2024.
