Tina Peters will be released from prison after Jared Polis commuted her sentence Friday, cutting her prison term roughly in half and making her eligible for parole on June 1.
Peters, the former Mesa County clerk, was convicted in 2024 on multiple charges tied to a 2021 breach of Colorado election equipment during efforts to support claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Prosecutors said Peters facilitated unauthorized access to voting system data that was later distributed online.
Polis said Peters’ original sentence — more than eight years in prison — was severe for a first-time, nonviolent offender, though he emphasized she remains a convicted felon and rejected her election fraud claims.
The New York Post has additional details:
Polis told the New York Times that Peters’ commutation was not meant to mollify President Trump — who had repeatedly called for her release while claiming without evidence that the 2020 election was “rigged” against him — but was done because the clerk “was given an unusually harsh sentence.”
“She committed a crime. She deserves to be a convicted felon,” said Polis, who added that it was important to send the message that “free speech” is supported “in our country” — though the governor added that Peters’ contention about the 2020 results remained “dangerously incorrect.”
The clemency decision immediately triggered backlash from Colorado election officials and Democrats, who argued the move could embolden election conspiracy theories and weaken confidence in election security.
Peters had become a major figure within the pro-Trump election denial movement, and President Donald Trump repeatedly pressured Colorado officials to secure her release. Earlier this year, a Colorado appeals court upheld Peters’ convictions but ordered resentencing after finding the trial judge improperly considered her protected political speech during sentencing.
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That judge should have expunged it, thrown it out completely, because who else was going to tell the truth that they don’t want, and refuse to hear?