May 15, 2026 · executive_action
Colorado Gov. Polis commutes Tina Peters' election breach sentence from nine years to four-and-a-half years
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis reduced former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters' nine-year prison sentence to four years and four-and-a-half months on May 15, 2026, making her eligible for parole on June 1. Peters was convicted on seven counts for allowing unauthorized access to Dominion voting machines in 2021. The commutation followed months of Trump administration pressure including a legally meaningless federal pardon, federal funding withholding, and public threats against state officials.
Mar 31, 2026 · judicial
23 states sue Trump over executive order giving DHS control over mail ballot eligibility
Officials from 23 Democratic states and the District of Columbia file a lawsuit seeking to block President Trump's executive order that aims to restrict mail voting. The lawsuit, led by California, is filed in federal court in Massachusetts.
The lawsuit asserts that neither the Constitution nor any federal law gives the president the power to mandate widespread changes to states' election procedures. The executive order directs the Department of Homeland Security to compile "State Citizenship Lists" of U.S. citizens eligible to vote in federal elections and requires the U.S. Postal Service to send mail or absentee ballots only to voters on each state's list.
The states warn that the president's order "violates bedrock principles of federalism and separation of powers" and "transgress Plaintiff States' constitutional power to prescribe the time, place, and manner of federal elections." The Constitution's Elections Clause gives states the power to set the "times, places and manner" of federal elections.
Oct 3, 2024 · court_ruling
Judge Sentences Tina Peters to Nine Years in Prison for Election Breach
District Court Judge Matthew Barrett sentenced former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters to nine years in prison on October 3, 2024, telling her she was "no hero" and that her "lies are well documented." Barrett said he was convinced Peters would do it all over again if given the chance. Peters was immediately taken into custody at the Mesa County Detention Facility. The sentence was the harshest imposed on any election official involved in post-2020 election denial schemes.
Aug 12, 2024 · court_ruling
Mesa County Jury Convicts Tina Peters on Seven Counts Including Four Felonies
A Mesa County jury found former clerk Tina Peters guilty on August 12, 2024, on seven of ten charges related to the election equipment breach. The four felony convictions included three counts of attempting to influence a public servant and one count of conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation. Peters was also convicted of three misdemeanors: official misconduct, violation of duty, and failure to comply with the Secretary of State.
Aug 12, 2024 · judicial
A Colorado jury convicts Tina Peters in the Mesa County voting-equipment breach
A Colorado jury convicted former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters on felony and misdemeanor counts tied to a breach of county voting equipment. Prosecutors said Peters helped an unauthorized person use another person's security badge during a trusted-build process and copy election-system data. Peters became a national figure among election deniers, but the verdict treated the breach as official misconduct and criminal impersonation, not proof of voter fraud.
