Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) floated possible clemency for former Mesa County elections clerk Tina Peters, who has been sitting in state prison since receiving a nine-year sentence for her handling of election equipment during the 2020 election.
Polis made the move in a post on X Tuesday, pointing to what he called a glaring sentencing disparity between Peters and a former Democrat state senator convicted of the same felony charge. The governor extended the deadline for clemency applications to April 3rd and said he would be making decisions on such cases throughout the remainder of his governorship.
Peters's attorney, Peter Ticktin, told PBS News Hour on Wednesday that he hoped Peters would be released this week, clarifying that any relief would be a commutation rather than a pardon. He described what he understood to be a procedural timeline:
"My understanding is that there is a 2 day delay between the communication and the announcement and release for pragmatic purposes."
The case Polis pointed to is damning in its simplicity, according to The Hill. Former state Sen. Sonya Jaquez Lewis, whom Polis described as "a friend for many years," was convicted in January of four felony charges, including attempt to influence a public official. Her sentence: two years of probation and community service.
Tina Peters was found guilty of four felonies, including the same charge. Her sentence: nine years in state prison.
Polis laid it out plainly:
"It is not lost on me that she was convicted of the exact same felony charge as Tina Peters — attempting to influence a public official — and yet Tina Peters, as a non-violent first time offender got a nine year sentence."
Four felonies for the Democrat. Probation. Four felonies for the Republican. Nine years behind bars. The facts require no editorial embellishment.
The governor framed his reasoning around consistency rather than ideology:
"Justice in Colorado and America needs to be applied evenly, you never know when you might need to depend on the rule of law."
Peters was sentenced in October 2024 to nine years in state prison over accusations that she used an individual's security badge to provide access to the Mesa County election system to another person affiliated with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. The charges were treated as an election interference case.
President Trump drew attention to the case early and often. He criticized Polis on Truth Social in December, calling on him to be "ashamed of himself" and demanding authorities "FREE TINA!" Later that month, Trump wrote that Polis and Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein should "rot in HELL."
Peters asked a state appeals court in December to recognize Trump's attempt to pardon her, but the effort went nowhere. She was convicted of state charges, which a presidential pardon cannot reach.
The pressure continued into the new year. On Monday, Trump posted again on Truth Social: "FREE TINA PETERS!" The White House on Wednesday referred reporters to that post.
Ticktin was careful to note the distinction: Peters would not be pardoned. It would be a commutation of her sentence. That matters. A commutation shortens the punishment. A pardon erases the conviction. Peters would still carry the felony record, but she would no longer be locked in a cell for nearly a decade over charges that earned a Democratic state senator nothing more than probation.
When asked about the timing, Ticktin offered cautious optimism: "Perhaps, today."
Polis, for his part, left himself room to maneuver, saying he has extended the clemency deadline to April 3rd and framing the Peters case as part of a broader review of sentencing disparities:
"I will be making decisions on these cases throughout the remainder of my governorship."
The Peters case has always carried a charge that extends well beyond Mesa County. She became a symbol for conservatives who watched a local elections clerk receive a prison sentence that dwarfed what violent offenders routinely get in progressive jurisdictions. Nine years for a non-violent first offender. In a state where actual criminals cycle through revolving-door courtrooms with a slap on the wrist.
Now the Lewis case has given even a Democratic governor reason to acknowledge the disparity. That's not a political calculation. It's arithmetic. Same charge. Same number of felony counts. One woman goes home. One goes to prison for nine years. The system either applies its standards evenly, or it admits it doesn't have standards at all.
Polis may be arriving at this realization late, and he may be arriving for his own reasons. But the destination is correct. Tina Peters has served time that no comparable offender in Colorado has been asked to serve. If the governor follows through, it won't be a favor. It will be a correction.
