Polis commutes – Colorado Gov. Jared Polis commuted the nine-year prison sentence of Tina Peters, a 2020 election denier convicted of tampering with election equipment, effective June 1. The move followed a state appeals court ruling that the original sentence was improper and
When Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed an executive order commuting Tina Peters’ prison sentence, he set an early release date for a high-profile election-denial figure whose conviction had already carried nearly a decade behind bars.
Polis said in the order that Peters is “granted parole effective June 1.” Peters, a former county clerk, thanked the governor in a statement released through her lawyer Peter Ticktin and, for the first time, expressed remorse.
“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,” Peters said.. “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.”
The commutation arrives after Colorado’s appeals court ruled last month that Peters’ lengthy sentence was improper and ordered she be resentenced. Polis’ action also prompted sharp criticism from state and federal Democrats who framed the move as a break from the rule of law.
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold. the state’s top election official. called the clemency “an affront to our democracy. the people of Colorado and election officials across the county.” She added. “No official should bow down to retaliation from Donald Trump. ” and said she was concerned it would “embolden” election denialists.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser struck a similar tone. saying Polis’ decision “is mind-boggling and wrong as a matter of basic justice.” He criticized what he called a surrender to pressure from President Donald Trump. warning that “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. ” and calling it “an unwise and unprecedented step” for Peters to be released early.
Sen.. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., also condemned the decision.. In a post on X. Bennet wrote. “I vehemently disagree” with the commutation. adding that Peters “broke the law. undermined our elections. and was convicted by a jury of her peers.” He said. “With Trump continuing to attack Colorado. we must stand strong for our institutions and the rule of law. ” while noting he is running for governor.
Polis. a Democrat. defended the commutation as a correction of what he characterized as sentencing error rather than leniency for Peters’ conduct.. In a statement on Facebook. he said he was “standing for the rule of law. ” arguing he believed “based on the facts of the case that her sentence is simply disproportionate for a first time. non-violent offender.” He also wrote that it is a “bedrock belief that our laws should be applied fairly” and said he “simply do[es] not believe that was what happened in this case.”
“To be clear, I am not pardoning Tina Peters, and I have never considered a pardon.. Tina Peters violated state law and broke the public trust by lying to the Secretary of State and illegally accessing a computer room in 2021 prior to a software update.. Her actions were clearly illegal, wrong, and financially costly to Mesa County, and Colorado,” Polis said.
Polis added that Peters “will remain a convicted felon for her crimes” and said he was “simply correcting what I see as the error the trial court made by sentencing her to nearly nine years in prison.” In earlier remarks. Polis told CBS News in January that he thought Peters’ sentence was “harsh” but said he would not let clemency decisions be driven by presidential directives.
The case has been bound up with national political pressure.. Peters’ cause had been championed by President Donald Trump. who posted “Free Tina Peters” multiple times on his social media site. including Friday. and blasted Polis as a “sleazebag” who should “rot in hell” for not using his power as governor to free the former Mesa County clerk.
That tension sits alongside a factual record of what Peters was convicted for.. Peters was convicted of four felony and three misdemeanor charges in August 2024 for using another person’s security badge to allow someone associated with MyPillow founder Mike Lindell. a prominent election denier. access to county election equipment involving Dominion Voting Systems.
After the access. the county’s machines had to be replaced when data—including passwords for the machines—was posted online.. At sentencing. District Attorney Daniel Rubinstein asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence. noting that although Peters’ claims of widespread fraud were presented. she never identified a single bogus vote.
County officials said Peters’ fraud claims led to a slew of death threats against election workers.. Peters maintained she had done nothing wrong. telling the judge at her sentencing. “It is with a heavy heart that I hear the vile accusations and anger levied against me for what I did to protect the people of Mesa County.”
Her appeal centered on how the trial court weighed her views about the 2020 election.. In an April 2 ruling. a panel of Colorado Court of Appeals judges found the judge who’d sentenced Peters put too much weight on Peters’ beliefs about election being stolen. saying it violated her First Amendment rights.. The court said. “Her offense was not her belief. however misguided the trial court deemed it to be. in the existence of such election fraud; it was her deceitful actions in her attempt to gather evidence of such fraud.”
The appeals court added that the trial court should not have considered Peters’ beliefs relevant when imposing sentence. and it noted that Peters was out of office and “no longer in a position to engage in the conduct that led to her conviction.” The panel directed trial judge Matthew Branch to resentence her without considering comments on the 2020 election.
Griswold said Friday the governor should have waited for the resentencing, arguing “The court system was working” and that “Tina Peters should not get special treatment.”
Polis, however, framed his action as compliance with the case’s factual and legal issues rather than a political decision.. He had previously indicated in a March post on X that he was considering cutting Peters’ sentence short in light of a much shorter sentence that had been handed down on a similar charge against a Democratic politician. writing. “Justice in Colorado and America needs to be applied evenly.”
Peters’ own statement after the commutation emphasized both apology and future plans.. After she’s released. she said. “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.” She added. “I am grateful for a second chance and an earlier release. and I look forward to doing good in the world.”
The sequence is stark across the different institutions: the appeals court found the sentence improperly weighed Peters’ election beliefs and ordered resentencing. Polis then commuted the sentence effective June 1 while insisting he was not pardoning her. and Griswold. Weiser. and Bennet all criticized the governor for stepping ahead of resentencing and for what they argued was an opening to more politically driven election-denial efforts.
Peters’ early release date now puts the dispute into the next phase of the state’s political and legal fight—one defined by a conviction for tampering with election equipment. a court ruling about what could be considered during sentencing. and a decision that both supporters and critics say will reverberate well beyond Colorado.
Tina Peters Jared Polis Colorado executive order parole effective June 1 election equipment tampering Dominion Voting Systems MyPillow Mike Lindell Colorado Court of Appeals Jena Griswold Phil Weiser Michael Bennet 2020 election denial