Colorado Democrats censure Gov. Jared Polis after he commutes the prison sentence of Tina Peters, a former Mesa County clerk convicted in a case involving unauthorized access to voting systems. Peters was serving a nine-year state prison term for her role in what prosecutors described as an effort to tamper with or examine voting equipment after the 2020 election. Multiple outlets report that Polis announced the commutation in late June (or on a Friday), reducing her sentence so she is expected to be released early and placed on parole. The Guardian reports the reduction to roughly four and a half years, with a parole release date of June 1. NBC News and others say Polis had described the original sentence as “harsh.” Several sources also note that President Donald Trump and allies repeatedly urged Peters’ release, characterizing her case as tied to election-fraud claims.
Following the commutation, the Colorado Democratic Party voted to formally censure Polis, with NBC News and Fox News describing the action as a response to the governor commuting an election denier’s sentence. The New York Times and NPR similarly frame the decision as controversial within the party.
