WASHINGTON — Colorado Democrats formally censured one of their own Wednesday, rebuking Gov. Jared Polis for commuting the nearly nine-year prison sentence of former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters.
Polis had concluded that Peters “was given an unusually harsh sentence” for granting unauthorized access to election machines to allow copies to be made of Dominion Voting Systems’ election computer server.
On Wednesday, the Colorado Democratic Party’s State Central Committee voted overwhelmingly to censure Polis during a virtual meeting.
“I cannot tolerate a governor who treats a law-breaking county clerk and recorder in this way,” complained committee member Andrew Brandt, per Colorado Public Radio. “I’ve been working as an election ballot judge, and our jobs are difficult enough without this move.”
“And as a cybersecurity professional, what Ms. Peters did was not only criminal, but nonsensical, and we cannot as a party or state allow this commutation to go unheeded.”
A spokesperson for Polis rejected those criticisms and insisted he “made this decision based on the facts of the case and what he believed was the right thing to do.”
“Sometimes the right thing isn’t the popular thing with everybody. Democracy is strongest when disagreement is met with debate and dialogue, not censorship,” the rep told The Post.
President Trump had repeatedly called for Peters to be released, and used her imprisonment as part of the rationale for vetoing bipartisan legislation to help rural communities in Colorado pay for a water pipeline expansion.
Trump also issued a symbolic “pardon” of Peters that had no legal effect since she was convicted on state charges.
Peters got in hot water after she allowed a “tech expert” linked to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to make a copy of Mesa County’s Dominion Voting Systems in 2021.
Passwords, photos, and videos of a system upgrade that had been going on during the time she allowed that individual access were later posted online.
Peters was convicted in 2024 of official misconduct, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, violation of duty, and failure to comply with secretary of state requirements.
The judge presiding over the case expressed concerns that Peters “would do it all over again.”
Due to Polis’ commutation order, Peters will be eligible for parole June 1. Previously, she would have had to wait until 2028 for eligibility, with mandatory release set for 2033.
“This is not a small policy disagreement at all whatsoever,” committee member Zane Schichtel fumed to The Colorado Sun.
“I think it is a direct rebuke of the principles of accountability and election integrity that uphold our democracy, and as such, we need to treat it for the serious matter that it is.”
