1. United States
2. Colo.
3. Letter

I am a registered voter and resident of Loveland, Colorado, and I am writing to urge you in the strongest possible terms not to grant a pardon or commutation to Tina Peters. Ms. Peters was convicted by a jury of her peers of seven counts, including four felonies, for orchestrating an unauthorized breach of Mesa County’s election equipment. She was prosecuted by a Republican district attorney, in a Republican county, and has shown no remorse for her actions. Her crimes were a direct attack on the integrity of Colorado’s elections and on the public trust that every elected official is sworn to uphold. I understand you have expressed concern about the length of her sentence. But I urge you not to conflate sentence length with innocence. The rule of law must be applied consistently, and election officials who abuse their position to undermine our democratic systems must be held accountable, regardless of political pressure from Washington. President Trump’s threats against Colorado - withholding disaster relief, vetoing clean water projects - should not be allowed to influence state clemency decisions. Rewarding that pressure by releasing Peters would set a dangerous precedent and signal that Colorado’s criminal justice system can be bent by Federal coercion. Colorado’s Attorney General, Secretary of State, and county clerks have all urged you not to grant clemency. I add my voice to theirs. Please stand firm.