Hours after walking out of prison Monday, former Mesa County, Colorado, elections clerk Tina Peters immediately resumed spreading discredited allegations about the 2020 presidential election. Appearing on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, Peters called her release “a miracle” and said she spent “636 days in prison — it’s been quite the ordeal.”
Peters, who was convicted in 2024 on seven counts including three for attempting to influence a public official, told Bannon she has been closely monitoring recent elections. She pointed to victories by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, and races in California, Texas, and Maine during the 2026 cycle as evidence of what she called inevitable Democratic cheating.
“I know that the Democrats are going to cheat, and no one’s really addressing the problem that I spent my time in prison as retribution for, and that was exposing the election machines that allow the votes to be flipped,” Peters claimed.
Her comments come after Colorado Gov. Jared Polis commuted her nearly nine-year sentence to 4½ years last month. In a radio interview, Polis said Peters’s crime was unauthorized access to a computer room, not interference with ballot counting. He insisted he was not swayed by former President Donald Trump, who had repeatedly called for her release on Truth Social. Polis described the commuted term as “a more appropriate — even harsh, frankly — sentence for that crime” and said it was “about doing what’s right.”
But Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold condemned the decision as “a gross injustice to our elections, election workers and democracy, with far-reaching consequences.” Centennial State Democrats voted to censure Polis, calling his move “a dangerous and disappointing precedent.”
Peters certified the 2020 results showing Trump won Mesa County, but Joe Biden carried Colorado. That discrepancy fueled Trump’s baseless claim that Democrats “stole” the state. In 2021, Peters allowed a conspiracy theorist tied to MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to access voting machines, purportedly to preserve records. Prosecutor Janet Drake argued Peters was “fixated” on becoming a “hero” to impress Lindell, who has long denied the 2020 outcome.
On Bannon’s show, Peters also voiced interest in prison reform, alleging rampant illegal drug use among inmates. “I understand that if you do the crime, you do the time,” she said. “But there’s no way to rehabilitate the inmates with the current system. I’d like to help change that if that’s the way the Lord leads me.”
Her release and immediate return to election denialism underscore the persistent influence of false 2020 narratives within some Republican circles. Polis’s commutation remains a flashpoint, with critics arguing it undermines accountability for those who attack election integrity.
As the 2026 midterms approach, Peters’s rhetoric echoes broader concerns about election trust. Legal battles over election procedures continue in other states, while former officials warn that election-driven decisions risk eroding democratic norms.
