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' conviction intact but ordered her re-sentenced.
President Donald Trump said in December 2025 that he was pardoning Peters, a Republican and vocal Trump supporter, but the presidential pardon appeared to be symbolic, because she was convicted of a state-level offense.
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.”