Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday granted clemency to Tina Peters and made the former Republican county clerk eligible for release from state prison as soon as next month, capping months of speculation that the Democratic governor would shorten a nearly nine-year sentence related to Peters’ role in a scheme to breach secure voting equipment.

Polis announced Friday afternoon that he was shortening Peters’ sentence from eight years and nine months to four years and 4.5 months, making her eligible for parole on June 1. Peters is currently incarcerated at La Vista Correctional Facility in Pueblo.

“The crimes you were convicted of are very serious and you deserve to spend time in prison for these offenses,” Polis said in a clemency letter addressed to Peters. “However, this is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first time offender who committed nonviolent crimes.”

Polis has faced pressure to release the 70-year-old Peters for more than a year from President Donald Trump, who described her as an “innocent Political Prisoner” and “hostage” last May and in December granted Peters a symbolic pardon, which has no legal effect on her convictions on state charges.

At the same time, the state’s leading Democrats have urged Polis not to pardon Peters or commute her sentence, including Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and Attorney General Phil Weiser, who were involved in Peters’ prosecution.

On Friday after Polis announced that he was granting clemency to Peters, officials and organizations that had earlier asked Pols to leave her sentence untouched rained down criticism on the governor.

“This clemency grant to Tina Peters is an affront to our democracy, the people of Colorado, and election officials across the country,” said Griswold in a statement. “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.”

Weiser, who assisted the local district attorney, a Republican, in prosecuting Peters and is running for governor, called Polis’ decision “mind-boggling and wrong as a matter of basic justice,” in a statement issued Friday afternoon.

“Caving in to this president will only lead to more abuse from the bullying Trump administration,” Weiser added. “Today is a sad day for Colorado and the rule of law.”

Peters was convicted in 2024 by a Mesa County jury on seven state charges, including four felonies, for facilitating a plan to tamper with the county’s election equipment in 2021, when she served as its chief election official, in an attempt to find evidence that Colorado’s voting system is rigged.

Last month, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled that Peters’ convictions would stand but ordered that she be resentenced by the District Court, saying that her public comments questioning the integrity of elections influenced the severity of her sentence. Earlier this month, the trial court judge declined to recuse himself from the resentencing hearing.

In his clemency letter, Polis said he agreed with the appellate ruling, which found that the judge shouldn’t have considered Peters’ stated beliefs about election fraud when determining her sentence.

“Importantly, your application demonstrates taking responsibility for your crimes, and a
commitment to follow the law going forward. For these reasons, I am commuting your sentence,” Polis wrote. “This commutation will change your future. It is up to you to make the most of this opportunity.”

The Colorado County Clerks Association, a group that counts most of the state’s elected clerks as members, said in a statement that Polis’ decision undermines the rule of law and confidence in elections.

“We are furious, disgusted, and deeply disappointed by the Governor’s decision,” the CCCA said.

“At a time when election officials need strong support, this decision abandons them and supports the attack on the legitimacy of American elections,” the clerks’ association said, adding that granting clemency to Peters will stand as Polis’ “legacy.”

“When given the opportunity to stand firmly for the rule of law, for the integrity of Colorado’s elections, and for the public servants who defend them, he chose a different path,” the clerks said.

In early March, Polis ignited speculation that he was considering granting clemency to Peters when he mused in an online post that Peters’ and a former Democratic state lawmaker had received widely disparate sentences for violating the same state statute.

Former state Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis was sentenced to probation and community service on four felony charges, including one count of attempting to influence a public servant and three counts of forgery, after her conviction for forging letters to a state Senate ethics committee investigating allegations she’d mistreated legislative aides.

Comparing Peters and Jaquez Lewis, Polis said in a post on X, “But it is not lost on me that she was convicted of the exact same felony charge as Tina Peters — attempting to influence a public official — and yet Tina Peters, as a non-violent first time offender got a nine year sentence.”

Added Polis: “Justice in Colorado and America needs to be applied evenly, you never know when you might need to depend on the rule of law. This is the context I am using as I consider cases like this that have sentencing disparities, which is why I have extended the deadline for clemency applications until April 3rd,” the governor said.

Following last month’s appeals court ruling overturning Peters’ sentence, Griswold said she appreciated that the court had rejected Trump’s attempt to pardon her and let the convictions stand.

“Peters will continue to face accountability for coordinating a breach of her own election equipment,” Griswold said in a statement. “Her actions have been repeatedly used to spread conspiracy theories, amplify falsehoods, and fuel dangerous election lies.”

Earlier this month, state Rep. Scott Bottoms, R-Colorado Springs, one of three Republican candidates for governor, vowed to issue a “full pardon” and permit her to sue the state if he is elected to replace Polis, who is term-limited.

“Tina Peters is innocent. She did nothing wrong and never deserved to be in jail,” Bottoms posted on X. “This is a political attack on her First Amendment rights and on election integrity.”

Editor’s note: This developing story will be updated.