Trump supporter Tina Peters to be freed after Colorado Gov Jared Polis calls sentence too long

PUEBLO, COLORADO: President Donald Trump's supporter and former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters will be freed from jail next month after Democratic Governor Jared Polis cut her prison time short, arguing that while “she committed a crime,” her punishment was too long. 

The governor decided that her original sentence was unfair because the trial judge heavily penalized Peters for her conspiracy theories and political speech. 

Jared Polis reduces Tina Peters' prison sentence

Colorado Governor Jared Polis announced on Friday, May 15, that he reduced Peters' sentence to four-and-a-half years, officially making her eligible for parole on June 1, 2026.

Peters was convicted in 2024 for illegally helping an outsider access county voting machines after the 2020 election to look for proof that the election was rigged against Trump.

In a local TV interview, Polis explained his decision to commute Peters. 

“She committed a crime. What’s an issue here is how long the sentence is,” Polis said.

He agreed with an appeals court that the original judge went too far.

“I agree with the appeals court that in the sentencing hearing, the judge incorrectly looked at and considered her bizarre viewpoints, her speech, and held her speech against her,” he added.

Furthermore, in his official commutation letter, Polis told Peters that her actions were very serious and deserved prison time, but noted that this was an "extremely unusual and lengthy sentence for a first-time offender who committed nonviolent crimes."

He emphasized that the First Amendment prohibits punishing someone for their protected speech.

Polis added that the trial judge's comments about her beliefs went beyond what should be considered, writing, "Her offense was not her belief, however misguided the trial court deemed it to be, in the existence of such election fraud; it was her deceitful actions in her attempt to gather evidence of such fraud.”

He signed off the letter by telling her, “This commutation will change your future. It is up to you to make the most of this opportunity. Good luck to you.”

Jared Polis reads Tina Peters' apology but blocks full pardon

Peters, who has called herself a political prisoner, sent a statement that the governor read aloud.

In it, she said, “I made mistakes, and for those, I’m sorry. Five years ago, I misled the Secretary of State when allowing a person to gain access to county voting equipment. That was wrong. I have learned and grown during my time in prison, and going forward, I will make sure that my actions always follow the law, and I’ll avoid the mistakes of the past.”

However, Governor Polis made it clear that he never considered giving her a full pardon because she does not regret her beliefs. 

“I don’t think that she’s remorseful for the opinions that she has or for belief in conspiracies,” Polis said. “Her beliefs are her beliefs. I vehemently disagree with much of what she has to say, certainly her conspiratorial beliefs.”

Jared Polis rejects locking up election deniers

The governor argued that the right way to handle election deniers is to disprove their claims with facts, not to keep them behind bars for their opinions.

Polis said that the way to rebut those false claims was “disputing her incorrect information and data. It’s not to lock somebody up because they believe something that is not only unpopular and incorrect, but also conspiratorial and potentially dangerous.”

The move comes after President Trump spent months demanding Peters' release on social media and in interviews.

Reportedly, Peters broke election security rules to search for voting machine fraud, but she never found any evidence.