Story perspectives

Polis Pardons 35, Commutes Peters, Raises Election Security Fears

5/19/2026

Summary

Story summary

Governor Jared Polis issued 35 pardons and commuted nine sentences, including former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters’ nearly nine-year term.
State election officials and the Colorado attorney general said the commutation weakens election security and undermines accountability.
Polis cited a Colorado Court of Appeals ruling that part of Peters’ sentence was based on protected speech and noted the $1 million cost to replace Mesa County’s voting machines.

History

Historical Context

After the 2000 Florida recount was stopped by the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bush v. Gore ruling on December 12, 2000, leaving George W. Bush ahead by 537 votes, Congress passed the Help America Vote Act to upgrade voting machines. Colorado Governor Jared Polis’s 2024 commutation of former clerk Tina Peters echoes those lingering election-security nationwide, ongoing debates today.

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Story summary

Governor Jared Polis issued 35 pardons and commuted nine sentences, including former Mesa County clerk Tina Peters’ nearly nine-year term.
State election officials and the Colorado attorney general said the commutation weakens election security and undermines accountability.
Polis cited a Colorado Court of Appeals ruling that part of Peters’ sentence was based on protected speech and noted the $1 million cost to replace Mesa County’s voting machines.

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