Article By James Morley III
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said he might consider granting clemency to former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, citing concerns about her age and the length of her prison sentence, following renewed calls from President Donald Trump for her release.
Speaking to CBS News Colorado on Friday, Polis acknowledged the severity of Peters’ punishment. “She got a sentence that was harsh. It was a nine-year sentence,” Polis said.
Peters, 73, is serving a nine-year sentence in a Colorado maximum-security prison after being convicted for her role in a 2021 election security breach.
Prosecutors said Peters allowed an unauthorized individual to access secure voting equipment and later helped disseminate election system data, violating state election laws and compromising voting machine security. The case became a national flashpoint amid broader disputes over claims of voter fraud.
Polis said clemency decisions often take age and public safety into account.
“We always look at people’s sentences, and when you have people that are elderly, and we’re looking at this across a number of people, people in their 70s and their 80s in our system, how much of a threat to society are they?” Polis said.
“And we balance that in a way that makes sure that they can spend their last few years at home.”
Trump has repeatedly criticized Polis over the Peters case and renewed his calls for her release Friday, posting “FREE TINA PETERS” on Truth Social.
In a New Year’s Eve post, Trump again attacked Polis and Colorado prosecutors with a harsh post, calling Peters’ conviction politically motivated and highlighting her age and health, saying they should “rot in Hell.”
Trump wrote that Peters was “sitting in a Colorado Maximum Security Prison, at the age of 73, and sick,” for what he described as trying to stop voter fraud, while sharply condemning Polis and the district attorney involved in the case.
Trump’s remarks reflect a years-long feud with Polis, whom he has frequently accused of targeting conservatives and enabling election practices Trump opposes.
The Peters case has become a recurring point of tension between the president and Colorado’s Democratic governor.
Polis has not indicated when a decision on clemency might be made, saying only that the matter would be reviewed through the state’s established process.
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