Colorado Gov. Jared Polis has shortened the prison term of former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters, who was convicted of tampering with election equipment, and announced she will be released on parole on June 1, 2026. The decision, which effectively reduces her roughly nine-year sentence to about four and a half years, comes after sustained pressure from former President Donald Trump and his allies to free Peters.
Peters was convicted for her role in enabling a security breach of voting machines in Mesa County in the months after the 2020 election. Prosecutors said the breach was part of her effort to support baseless claims that the election had been stolen. In 2024 a judge in Grand Junction sentenced her to nearly nine years in prison; that sentence stood until a state appeals court in April upheld the conviction but ordered a new sentencing because the appeals panel found the trial judge had improperly considered protected speech when imposing the punishment.
Polis said his review of Peters’ clemency application and the appeals court’s ruling convinced him that her speech likely influenced the original sentence. He said he does not agree with her claims and remains critical of her conduct, but that the Constitution limits using a defendant’s speech as a factor in sentencing. Polis framed the move as correcting a legal mistake and exercising mercy during his final year in office, saying he was halving the effective sentence so Peters will have served more than 600 days in custody by the time she is paroled.
The commutation prompted immediate and sharp criticism from many Colorado officials. Attorney General Phil Weiser, whose office helped prosecute the case, called it “a sad day for Colorado.” State and local election officials, as well as Democrats campaigning to succeed Polis, said the move undermines the rule of law and could endanger clerks who run elections. Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, warned that freeing Peters sends the wrong signal to election workers who face threats and harassment.
Polis has insisted the decision is not an attempt to appease Trump. The president quickly celebrated the commutation on social media, posting “FREE TINA,” and he had issued a symbolic presidential pardon for Peters in December — a gesture of political support that had no legal effect on state charges. Polis said he would resist any improper federal intervention and emphasized that the governor’s action is not a pardon but a reduction of sentence based on constitutional concerns.
Peters in a statement released after the commutation expressed remorse, saying she made mistakes, admitted to allowing someone access to county voting equipment, and pledged to obey the law going forward. Her lawyers have maintained she has been politically targeted; they and some supporters have described her as acting out of belief, not criminal intent.
The case has been closely watched because it contrasts with other legal efforts to hold allies of Trump accountable for post-2020 election actions, many of which have struggled in court. At sentencing in 2024, the trial judge delivered a harsh rebuke of Peters’ behavior and comments, declaring she was no hero and criticizing her continued promotion of false claims about voting machines — remarks that the appeals court later said may have tainted the sentence.
Polis’ move will likely deepen divisions in Colorado politics. Supporters of the commutation point to the appeals court’s finding and the governor’s stated desire to apply mercy where appropriate. Critics argue it amounts to capitulation to outside political pressure and undermines the deterrent effect of enforcing laws protecting election infrastructure. As Peters prepares for parole, election officials and elected leaders across the state continue to debate the implications for public trust and for the safety of those who administer elections.