May 15, 2026 03:00 PM UTC

BREAKING: Polis Commutes Sentence of Tina Peters in Baffling Move

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• by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE #2: Here’s the letter from Polis granting Peters clemency:

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UPDATE: Democrats are piling on, as well they should:

Attorney General Phil Weiser:

“Gov. Polis’ commutation of Tina Peters’ sentence is mind-boggling and wrong as a matter of basic justice. She was convicted by a jury and sentenced for tampering with election equipment and undermining our elections. The judge imposed a reasonable sentence based on her criminal conduct, she has shown no remorse for her crimes, and now the governor is taking this unwise and unprecedented step of releaseing her from prison early.

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.”

Secretary of State Jena Griswold:

“This clemency grant to Tina Peters is an affront to our democracy, the people of Colorado, and election officials across the country. The Governor’s actions today will validate and embolden the election denial movement, and leave a dark, dangerous imprint on American democracy for years to come.”

Senator John Hickenlooper:

“Tina Peters is guilty as sin and a disgrace to Colorado.

“She tried to undermine Colorado’s free and fair election system. When she was caught red-handed, she was prosecuted by a Republican district attorney and rightfully convicted by a jury of her peers.

“Reducing her sentence sends the wrong message to those seeking to undermine trust in our elections and it will do nothing to deter Donald Trump’s illegal attacks on Colorado. I strongly disagree with this decision.”

House and Senate Democratic Leadership:

“We strongly oppose Governor Polis’ decision to preempt the courts and commute the sentence of a still-unremorseful Tina Peters. Tina Peters sought to overturn the election results and committed a serious crime. She was prosecuted by a Republican district attorney in a conservative county and convicted by a jury of her peers. Her actions threatened our elections, and commuting her sentence sends exactly the wrong message at a time when the Trump Administration is threatening vote-by-mail and working to undermine our democracy.

“House and Senate Democrats have repeatedly outlined the many serious reasons why Governor Polis should let the courts decide Ms. Peters’ sentence. We stand by these concerns and the voices of election officials across our state to once again express our strongest objection to this decision. The legislature has worked for years to strengthen and protect Colorado’s elections to ensure they are safe, secure, and accessible, and we staunchly support our dedicated county clerks and election officials who have increasingly come under threat to uphold that.”

Boulder County District Attorney/Attorney General candidate Michael Dougherty:

“It’s an outrageous decision that fundamentally undermines the rule of law.

Coloradans deserve leaders who will defend the integrity of our elections and respect the work of juries, judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement — not undermine them for political expediency.”

Former State Rep. and CO-08 congressional candidate Shannon Bird:

“Nobody is above the law, and the right to vote is sacred. Tina Peters was convicted of tampering with Colorado’s elections, and has shown no remorse for her actions. Today’s commutation sends a worrisome signal that our state will bend to political pressure from an out-of-control president hellbent on punishing Colorado.”

But hey, at least Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Windsor) is happy!

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As The Denver Post reports, Governor Jared Polis just created a perplexing legacy for himself as he concludes his final year in office:

Gov. Jared Polis will reduce Tina Peters’ sentence by half, he confirmed Friday, appearing to bend to demands from President Donald Trump — while ignoring the pleas of many other Colorado elected officials and the prosecutor who won the former county clerk’s conviction in an election data-breach scheme.

The commutation will reduce Peters’ original sentence of nearly nine years, which was thrown out last month, to about 4.5 years, Polis said in an interview Friday. His decision will make her parole-eligible for release from prison beginning June 1.

Peters, the former Mesa County clerk, has been a public supporter of election conspiracies rooted in Trump’s reelection loss in 2020. Polis told The Denver Post on Friday that “just because somebody believes the Earth is flat — just because somebody believes in conspiracy theories — does not mean that they should receive a harsher sentence for a very specific crime.”…

…“It’s important to get past our emotions, which I share, about election conspiracy theories,” Polis said. “I condemn them. I condemn any acts of threats or violence against our incredibly talented election workers on both sides of the aisle.

“And it’s important to look at, as we do in any case, the facts of the case — and make sure that we live in a society that upholds the value of freedom of speech, and that even when somebody holds incorrect and unpopular opinions, that speech is not held against them in a sentencing.” [Pols emphasis]

This is absolute nonsense from Polis. Peters wasn’t punished for speaking her mind — she broke into the Mesa County election computers while serving as clerk and recorder.

The news has already become a national story. From The New York Times:

Tina Peters, perhaps the most prominent 2020 election denier who remains behind bars, is set to go free after Gov. Jared Polis of Colorado, a Democrat, commuted her sentence on Friday.

The remarkable development cuts short the roughly nine-year sentence that Ms. Peters, a former county clerk in Mesa County, Colo., was given after being convicted in 2024 for her role in a brazen plot to examine voting machines under her control after the 2020 election. Ms. Peters had tried to prove that the machines had been used to rig the contest against President Trump.

In an interview at the Colorado State Capitol, the governor said his commutation was not an attempt to placate Mr. Trump, who has leveled a barrage of funding cuts and policy attacks at Colorado in a hostile effort to free Ms. Peters.

If you were hoping we could explain what Polis is doing here…you’re out of luck.

We don’t get it. We’ll never get it.