DENVER — Two Colorado candidates vying for offices in the upcoming November election are calling for the impeachment of Colorado Governor Jared Polis after he announced he was granting former Mesa County Clerk and 2020 election denier Tina Peters clemency.
Peters was sentenced in 2024 to nine years in prison for giving an unauthorized person access to election equipment. The Colorado Court of Appeals threw out that sentence in April and she was set to be re-sentenced.
But last Friday, Polis said he would grant Peters clemency and that she will be released on parole June 1 after serving about 19 months behind bars.
Over the weekend, in a post on social media, Melat Kiros, who’s running to unseat veteran Congresswoman Diana DeGette to represent Denver, wrote:
I’m calling for an investigation and articles of impeachment for Governor Jared Polis and his commutation of Tina Peters.
Tina Peters was convicted on seven counts, including four felonies, for allowing unauthorized access to Mesa County’s voting system, lying to investigators, and obstructing the Colorado Secretary of State. She was sentenced to nine years by a jury of her peers.
David Seligman, who’s running for Colorado attorney general, also posted on social media, calling for Polis’ impeachment, writing:
I’m calling on the General Assembly of Colorado to vote to reconvene for special session for the purpose of impeaching or censuring the Governor of Colorado. The Governor commuted Tina Peters’ sentence after the legislative session, likely in an effort to avoid accountability for misconduct. The people of Colorado are demanding accountability.
“I don't really see them (calls for impeachment) as coming to fruition. I'm a former elections official, so I certainly don't agree with the decision, but this is sort of one of those ‘don't hate the player, hate the game’, kind of moments,” said Denver7 political analyst Alton Dillard. “He waited until after the legislature was done to make this action. He didn't wait on the appeals court to see what the re-sentencing was going to look like, and there's no political consequence for him, because he's a lame duck.”
Dillard said for those who are upset about the governor’s clemency decision, this is a good reminder to do extensive research before voting for a candidate.
“When you elect a Libertarian, independently wealthy governor who has no political consequence based on his actions, these are the kind of things that can result," Dillard said. "I think, this is going to create a downstream effect, and remember, she was a martyr of the election denial movement, and I think this is going to give them even more fuel."
Politics
Polis grants Tina Peters clemency; cuts sentence of disgraced ex-clerk in half
Dillard said for state lawmakers to start the impeachment process, the legislature would need to reconvene. But the legislature is not scheduled to reconvene until January 2027, within hours of Polis’ last term ending.
Lawmakers could call a special session, but two-thirds of the House and Senate would need to approve.
No governor in Colorado state history has been impeached.
