May 15 (Reuters) – Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis granted clemency on Friday to former county elections clerk Tina Peters, a Trump ally who was convicted of tampering with voting machines as she pursued concerns that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen.
Polis wrote in his clemency letter to Peters that he was commuting her nine-year prison sentence to time already served and ordering her release on parole effective June 1. Prior to gaining clemency, Peters, 70, would not have been eligible for release until November 2028.
“Thank you Governor Polis,” Peters posted on X. “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.”
Peters was one of 44 individuals to whom Polis granted clemency on Friday.
“The Clemency power is a serious responsibility, and not one that I take lightly,” Polis said in a statement. “This power has the ability to change lives – help grant a second chance for someone who has made grave mistakes – and it comes with great consideration, and sometimes even controversy.”
Peters, a Republican, was an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump’s claims that he lost the 2020 White House race to Democrat Joe Biden because of widespread election fraud.
Peters was the clerk of Mesa County when she was indicted in 2022, following an election security breach at her office that led to the posting of voting equipment passwords on a political blog. She denied wrongdoing but was convicted in 2024 on seven charges, including three counts of attempting to influence a public servant. She was acquitted on three other charges.
Last year, President Trump ordered the Department of Justice “to help secure the release” of Peters, saying she was prosecuted “for political reasons.” He said Peters was an “innocent American” whose incarceration was “unjust.” In December, Trump pardoned her, but a Colorado court ruled that he had no authority to do so since she was convicted on state charges. Trump lashed out at Polis that same month, accusing the governor of being beholden to transnational gangs.
“The governor of Colorado is a weak and pathetic man who was run by Tren de Aragua,” Trump said. “The criminals from Venezuela took over sections of Colorado. And he was afraid to do anything, but he puts Tina in jail for nine years because she caught people cheating.”
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Steve Gorman; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Bill Berkrot)
