Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters has been released from prison after her sentence was commuted by Colorado Governor Jared Polis following sustained pressure from US President Donald Trump.
Colorado correctional authorities confirmed Peters’ release on Monday, noting that no additional details would be provided regarding the 70-year-old former election official.
Peters had been serving a nine-year prison sentence after being convicted for her role in efforts linked to conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 US presidential election. Her sentence was reduced in May after Polis granted clemency, allowing her release after serving less than a quarter of her original term.
The former Mesa County clerk became one of the first election officials in the United States to face criminal charges related to post-election security breaches. Prosecutors said she allowed an outside computer specialist connected to MyPillow founder Mike Lindell to access election equipment and copy data from county voting systems during a 2021 software update.
Authorities alleged that images and information from the voting system, including passwords, were later shared online, fueling claims that voting machines had been manipulated during the election won by Joe Biden.
A jury convicted Peters in 2024 on multiple charges, including attempting to influence a public servant, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, and misconduct in office. Although an appeals court upheld the convictions earlier this year, it ordered a resentencing, ruling that the trial judge improperly considered Peters’ public statements about election fraud when imposing punishment.
Trump repeatedly voiced support for Peters, arguing that her sentence was excessive. Because her convictions were under state law, he lacked the authority to pardon her directly and instead urged Polis to intervene.
In a letter explaining his decision, Polis acknowledged the seriousness of Peters’ offenses but argued that the punishment was unusually severe for a first-time offender who had not committed a violent crime.
Reacting to the commutation, Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold condemned the move, calling it a “dark day for democracy” and accusing the governor of “selling out our state’s justice system for Trump.”
