President Donald Trump recently announced a full pardon for Tina Peters, the former Mesa County clerk and recorder convicted on state charges related to a 2021 election system breach. In swift response, Colorado’s Democrat leadership asserted that Trump lacks the authority to issue pardons for state crimes. This has sparked a movement among Peters’ supporters, who are now circulating a public petition urging Democrat Gov. Jared Polis to grant her mercy before Christmas.
Peters was convicted in 2024 on seven counts, including attempting to influence a public servant, after allowing unauthorized access to voting equipment in an effort to uncover alleged fraud in the 2020 election. Judge Matthew Barrett of the 21st Judicial District sentenced Peters to nine years in prison, labeling her “a charlatan” and “a danger to all of us.” Despite this, Peters and her attorneys firmly assert her innocence, claiming the charges were driven by political motives and that her sole aim was to safeguard free and fair elections.
Mike Davis, founder and president of the Article III Project, asserted that Peters was both overcharged and over-sentenced because Colorado state laws allow her to access and archive the election system’s hard drive. Most important, he states, “Peters altered no election results. Not one vote was changed because of her actions.” Davis also emphasizes that the nine-year sentence is not only excessively harsh, but he finds Judge Barrett’s decision to require Peters to spend the first six months in the all-population Mesa County Detention Center particularly troubling. This facility offers no separate accommodations for nonviolent offenders like Peters.
Peters reportedly had no prior history of criminal conduct except for a traffic ticket before this case. Additionally, the 70-year-old (she was 69 when charged and sentenced) reportedly grapples with several health conditions, including fibromyalgia and a previous lung cancer diagnosis, which has left her occasionally short of breath. This context underscores the need for a more compassionate approach to her case.
Peters’ lawyers and supporters have been lobbying Trump for a presidential pardon. In conjunction with this effort, Peters filed a federal lawsuit asking to be released on bond while her appeal is reviewed. Last Monday, Federal Magistrate Judge Scott Varholak denied Peters’ request, emphasizing that it is the responsibility of state courts, not federal courts, to determine her sentence.
After Trump issued his pardon for Peters a few days later, Colorado state officials, including Democrat Gov. Jared Polis, voiced their strong objections. They argued that presidential authority does not extend to state law and that a president cannot pardon someone for state-level convictions. Other state officials, as well as the Colorado County Clerk Association, also urged Polis to deny the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ request to transfer Peters from a state prison to a federal facility.
In response to the pardon impasse, conservative Colorado radio host Kim Monson has launched an online petition, calling Polis to show “kindness, compassion, and mercy” by pardoning Tina Peters by Christmas Eve. This would enable Peters to visit her 97-year-old mother on Christmas and receive necessary medical treatment.
Citing a report from a liberal newspaper, The Colorado Sun, Monson highlights that Polis has issued pardons in each year of his governorship. In the previous year alone, Polis pardoned 22 individuals and commuted the sentences of another four right before Christmas. Among those who received commutations were two convicted of first-degree murder and one with a significant rap sheet that included a sexual assault.
Monson contends that since Polis has demonstrated willingness to use his clemency powers for those with violent pasts, he should extend the same compassion to a first-time, nonviolent offender like Peters. Monson is encouraging the community to sign an online petition, which has already garnered nearly 2,000 signatures from people across America. The petition will close at 9 a.m. on Dec. 22. Monson plans to print the petition, have it notarized, and personally deliver it to the governor’s office that afternoon.
The timing is intentional, reflecting the deeper meaning of the holiday season — a time for forgiveness, redemption, and compassion.
As Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus — who offered mercy to the undeserving and suffered to bring salvation — Monson and other Peters supporters call on Gov. Polis to reflect that spirit. In a divided political landscape, acts of grace can bridge divides and affirm shared values of humanity. Whether Polis heeds this plea remains to be seen, but the campaign underscores a poignant appeal for kindness amid ongoing ideological divisions.
