A former Colorado election official has been sentenced to nine years in prison for spreading baseless claims about the 2020 election. Tina Peters, the ex-Mesa County clerk, was convicted of a series of felony and misdemeanor charges related to her role in breaching the security of the county’s voting system. The charges stemmed from a 2021 incident where she allowed unauthorized access to election equipment, which led to sensitive information, including passwords, being leaked online.
The breach was orchestrated with the help of someone linked to Mike Lindell, the CEO of MyPillow, an ardent supporter of former President Trump and avid disseminator of election conspiracy theories. Peters granted access to the county’s election equipment using a security badge that did not belong to her, which resulted in the Dominion Voting Systems machines needing to be replaced. Peters continued to insist she had no knowledge that the information would be made public.
During her sentencing, Judge Matthew Barrett characterized Peters as a “charlatan” who exploited her position to spread deceit. “Your lies are well-documented and these convictions are serious,” Barrett stated. “The damage is immeasurable. I’m convinced you would do it all over again if you could.” Barrett went on to criticize her continuous promotion of conspiracy theories, saying, “Every time one of your conspiratorial claims gets refuted, shown to be false, another tale is weaved.”
Prosecutors painted Peters as a public official who betrayed her responsibilities. Jessica Drake, who led the case against Peters, described her as “a fox guarding the henhouse” for using her position to facilitate the security breach. “It was her job to protect the election equipment, and she turned on it and used her power for her own advantage,” Drake said during her closing argument.
Peters maintained her innocence throughout the trial. In a statement before her sentencing, she expressed regret over the accusations made against her, claiming that her intentions were solely to protect the integrity of the election. “It is with a heavy heart that I hear the vile accusations and anger levied against me,” Peters told the court. She appealed for leniency, asking for probation instead of prison time, but her plea fell on deaf ears.
County officials, however, were left to deal with the fallout from her actions, including over $1 million in damages and a wave of threats against election workers. Matt Crane, the executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, pointed out that Peters had numerous legal options to preserve the information she claimed to protect, rather than engaging in what he described as a “treacherous” plot.
After being indicted, Peters ran for Colorado secretary of state in 2022 but lost in the Republican primary by a wide margin. Despite the overwhelming loss, Peters again alleged election fraud and called for a recount, which ultimately only netted her a mere 13 extra votes.
