DENVER (CN) – Exercising his pardon powers as Colorado governor, Jared Polis on Friday with travel the 9-year prison sentence of former Mesa County election official Tina Peters.
“The crimes you were convicted of are very serious and you deserve to spend time in prison for these crimes,” Colorado’s top Democrat wrote in a two-page apology letter to Peters. “However, this is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first-time offender who committed non-violent crimes.”
As Mesa County clerk and recorder in 2021, Peters heard from voters who questioned the integrity of Grand Junction’s municipal elections, prompting her to file a voting machine update — an action that was not illegal at the time.
However, Peters broke the law when she forged the identity of an associate she brought in to observe the process. The hoax made national news when the videos were discovered on the social media platform Telegram, prompting an investigation.
After one 10-day trial in August 2024, a jury found Peters guilty of three felony counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count of conspiracy to commit impersonation, plus misdemeanor counts of official misconduct, breach of duty and failure to comply with the requirements of the secretary of state.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat running to replace Polis, called Polis’ decision to grant her clemency “conspicuous.”
“The judge imposed a reasonable sentence based on her criminal behavior,” Weiser said in a statement. “She has shown no remorse for her crimes and now the governor is taking this foolish and unprecedented step to release her from prison early.”
Last December, President Donald Trump tried to pardon the 70-year-old Peters.
The president, however, does not have the power to overturn the convictions of the state. Trump tried and failed to pressure state officials. Federal funding was soon cut for the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, though Trump officials insisted it was a coincidence.
“Caving in to this president will only lead to more abuses by the bully Trump administration,” said Weiser, who has filed more than 60 lawsuits against the federal government since Trump took office last year. “Today is a sad day for Colorado and the rule of law.”
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold also condemned the decision.
“This grant of clemency to Tina Peters is an affront to our democracy, the people of Colorado and election officials across the country,” wrote Griswold, also a Democrat. “The governor’s actions today will validate and embolden the election denial movement and leave a dark and dangerous mark on American democracy for years to come.”
Peters’ attorney, John Case, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Peters issued a formal apology in a statement posted on X.
“I’ve made mistakes and I’m sorry for them,” Peters wrote. “Five years ago, I defrauded the secretary of state when I allowed a person to have access to county voting equipment. That was wrong. I have learned and grown during my time in prison and moving forward I will make sure my actions always follow the law and avoid the mistakes of the past.”
After her release, Peters vowed to continue her work to improve electoral integrity as well as the detention system.
“I plan to do my best through legal means to uphold electoral integrity and based on my personal experiences to advance the cause of prison reform to help make the detention system fairer and more just for people of all ages,” Peters wrote.
From prison, Peters has documented violence and harm at the LaVista Correctional Institution for Women in Pueblo, Colorado, where she is housed.
In appealing her convictions, Peters argued that both the prosecution and the resulting sentence were prompted by her speaking out about election integrity. In April, the Colorado Court of Appeals ALLEGED jury’s conviction, but vacated the sentence, finding that Judge Matthew Barrett’s comments about Peters’ convictions were improper.
In his compensation letter, Polis quoted from that appellate court opinion.
“Her offense was not her belief, however erroneous the trial court found it to be, in the existence of such election fraud,” the court wrote. “It was her fraudulent actions in her attempt to gather evidence of such fraud.”
Standing by his ability to remain impartial, Barrett, a Polis-appointed judge in the state’s 21st Judicial Circuit, refused Peters’ repeated demands that he be removed from the case.
In January, Barrett wrote to Polis detailing his reasons for handing down the nine-year sentence. In that letter, Barrett remained neutral whether Peters deserved mercy.
“I trust that whatever decision you make will be for the right reasons, after consideration of all relevant information and with due respect for the work of those in your co-equal branch of government,” Barrett wrote.
Peters is one of 44 Coloradans granted clemency this year, including 35 people who were pardoned. Polis signed each letter with the same parting words: “This shift will change your future. It’s up to you to make the most of this opportunity.”
Peters is scheduled to be released on parole on June 1.
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