Democratic Colorado lawmakers urge Gov. Jared Polis not to grant Tina Peters clemency

Colorado Democratic lawmakers are urging Jared Polis not to reduce the prison sentence of former Mesa County Clerk and convicted felon Tina Peters.

Every Democrat in the Colorado General Assembly — both in the state senate and the state house — signed a letter to the governor arguing that sentence forgiveness should be reserved for people who take responsibility for their actions.

In the letter, sent on Tuesday and obtained by CBS News Colorado on Thursday, lawmakers wrote that the 70-year-old former clerk "has made no efforts" to accept accountability and instead continues to promote election-denial conspiracy theories.

"We would be remiss if we did not express strong concern about the impact of Ms. Peters' crimes in fueling election conspiracy theories that undermine the integrity of our elections system as a whole," the letter continued. "We fear that any clemency or other sentence reduction on your part will further embolden these conspiracies and those who propagate them. We urge you not to empower those who seek to undermine our elections and our Republic by providing them with a figurehead to rally around and near assurance that, when you tamper with our elections, you will escape justice."

Earlier this month, Polis said he believed Peters' nine-year prison sentence may be too harsh.

"Justice in Colorado and America needs to be applied evenly, you never know when you might need to depend on the rule of law. This is the context I am using as I consider cases like this that have sentencing disparities," Polis wrote on the social platform X.

Polis later told reporters that whether Peters apologizes for her actions would be an important factor in his decision. 

Peters has not expressed remorse for her actions, instead defending them as necessary to investigate possible fraud.  

The lawmakers pushed back against the assertion that her sentence was too harsh, saying in their letter, "We also wish to remind you that most estimates place Ms. Peters' release around late 2027 or early 2028, should she act with good behavior. We believe this is a reasonable sentence for attempts to tamper with and sow discord around our elections."

The Governor's Office did not respond to an email seeking comment that was sent after business hours on Thursday.

Peters, the former clerk in Mesa County, was convicted in 2024 on seven charges — three counts of attempting to influence a public servant, one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty, and failing to comply with the secretary of state.

She was acquitted of an additional count of criminal impersonation, a charge of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, and an identity theft charge.

She was sentenced in October 2024.

You can read the lawmakers' full letter here: