Colorado Gov. Jared Polis granted clemency on May 15 to former county elections clerk Tina Peters, who had been convicted of lying to Colorado state officials about a tech specialist she brought in to observe changes to election software.
The commutation of her sentence by the Democratic governor came after the Colorado Court of Appeals left Peters's conviction intact but ordered her re-sentenced.
In December 2025, President Donald Trump pardoned Peters, a Republican and vocal Trump supporter, but the presidential pardon appeared to be symbolic, because she was convicted of a state-level offense.
Trump said at the time in a Truth Social post that Peters was being incarcerated in a Colorado prison “for the ‘crime’ of demanding Honest Elections.”
“While Tina is currently in state prison, the pardon ensures the federal government cannot pursue federal charges and gives renewed focus and attention to Tina’s story,” Giuliani wrote on X.
Peters previously said on her website that her efforts as Mesa County clerk were aimed at upholding election integrity by “creating a forensic backdrop” of a county election server.
The commutation means Peters, who is 70, will be released on parole on June 1. Without the clemency, she would not have been eligible for parole until November 2028.
“The crimes you were convicted of are very serious and you deserve to spend time in prison for these offenses,” he said. “However, this is an extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first time offender who committed nonviolent crimes.”
Polis said he agreed with the Colorado Court of Appeals, which found that the trial court’s comments about Peters’s “belief in the existence of 2020 election fraud went beyond relevant considerations for her sentencing.
The appeals court said the trial court “should not have considered those beliefs relevant when imposing sentence,” he said.
Polis said Peters’s application for the commutation “demonstrates taking responsibility for your crimes, and a commitment to follow the law going forward.”
“This commutation will change your future,” he said. “It is up to you to make the most of this opportunity.”
“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,” she said. “Upon release, I plan to do my best through legal means to support election integrity and based on my own personal experiences to elevate the cause of prison reform.”
Trump celebrated the clemency on Truth Social with a two-word post reading, “FREE TINA!”
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) hailed the commutation as “great news.”
Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, criticized the commutation, calling it “an affront to our democracy.”
The Democratic leadership in the Colorado House and Senate said Polis should have allowed the courts to decide the sentence of Peters, and accused her of having "sought to overturn the election results."