Colorado governor commutes Trump ally Tina Peters' prison sentence for voting machine tampering
Updated on: May 15, 2026 / 9:23 PM MDT / CBS Colorado
TL;DR
- Colorado Gov. Jared Polis commuted the prison sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters.
- Peters was convicted for allowing unauthorized access to voting machines after the 2020 election.
- Polis cited the sentence length as unusually long for a first-time nonviolent offender and referenced protected speech concerns.
- Peters apologized for her actions and stated she will ensure her future actions follow the law.
- The commutation was criticized by other Colorado Democrats, including the Secretary of State and Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper.
- The decision does not erase Peters' conviction.
- Polis stated he did not speak to former President Trump about the commutation and denied bending to political pressure.