Tina Peters sentence commuted by Gov. Polis as Griswold slams decision

Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis on Friday commuted the sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, who was convicted in connection with the 2021 voting equipment violation case that became a flashpoint in the fight for election integrity, prompting immediate reaction from Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold and “FREE TINA!” by President Donald Trump, prompting praise. at Truth Social.

According to the statement made by the Governorship, Polis announced amnesty to 44 people on Friday, 35 of whom received amnesty and 9 commutations. Peters was among those who commuted his sentence and granted parole, effective June 1, 2026.

“The power of pardon is a serious responsibility and not one that I take lightly,” police said in a statement announcing the amnesty actions. he said.

“This power has the ability to change lives – helping to give a second chance to someone who has made serious mistakes – and this brings about great thought and sometimes even debate,” he added.

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The move sparked a harsh reaction from Griswold, who accused Polis of legitimizing the “election rejection movement.”

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

“The Governor’s actions today will validate and embolden the election denial movement and leave a dark, dangerous mark on American democracy for years to come,” he added.

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Mesa County Clerk and Colorado Republican candidate for secretary of state Tina Peters will receive a pardon from President Donald Trump. Peters is serving a nine-year prison sentence after a state jury found him guilty of participating in a scheme to breach Mesa County voting systems. (Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

According to the decree signed on Friday, Peters’ sentence was commuted from 8 years and 3 months to 4 years and 4.5 months. The order provides for his parole effective June 1, 2026, with conditions to be determined by the Colorado Parole Board.

In the decision, “Tina M. Peters was granted a limited right to commutation in the form of converting her total sentence, including the time she spent in the County Jail and Correctional Institution, to 4 years and 4.5 months and granting her parole as of June 1, 2026.” The statement is included.

The executive order also made clear that the pardon action “will not in any way affect the underlying criminal conviction.”

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Police wrote in their order that “the constitutional and legal conditions for the granting of this mercy petition have been met and it is in the interest of justice to grant this relief.”

According to the order, Peters was convicted in 2024 of attempted influence on a public official, as well as criminal impersonation conspiracy (causal liability, official misconduct, violation of office elections, and failure to comply with state department requirements).

He was sentenced to 8 years and 3 months in the Department of Corrections, along with 6 months in the county jail. The mandatory release date was previously listed as 2033, with an estimated parole eligibility date of 2028.

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Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold speaks to members of the media outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on February 8, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Bloomberg)

Griswold’s office said Peters’ actions stemmed from a 2021 breach involving Mesa County voting equipment.

“In 2021, then-Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters compromised her county’s voting equipment while trying to prove conspiracies,” Griswold’s office said in a statement Friday. he said.

The office said Griswold responded by decertifying the county’s voting equipment, working with Mesa County commissioners to remove Peters from election oversight and appointing a former Republican secretary of state to oversee the election process.

Griswold’s office also said Peters’ actions cost Mesa County “approximately a million dollars in replacement equipment.”

The secretary of state noted that on April 2, 2026, the Colorado Court of Appeals affirmed Peters’ convictions and ordered his resentencing by the district court.

Trump said Friday afternoon, simply “FREE TINA!” weighed in on the rite of passage with a short Truth Social post that read.

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Peters became a nationally known figure among 2020 election skeptics following the Mesa County voting equipment breach controversy and subsequent criminal prosecution.

Friday’s pardon order immediately deepened political divisions surrounding one of the most high-profile criminal prosecutions in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.