Colorado’s county clerks Tuesday reiterated their calls for Gov. Jared Polis to reject a request from the Trump administration to transfer former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters into federal custody, saying that his silence on the issue is putting them at risk.
This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at kunc.org.
“Our message today is directed to Gov. Polis: Do not transfer Tina Peters to federal custody and communicate that decision publicly and quickly,” Boulder County Clerk Molly Fitzpatrick, a Democrat, said during a virtual news conference. “His indecision or his refusal to publicly address this decision is already causing harm to clerks across Colorado.”
Nearly three dozen Colorado clerks from both sides of the political aisle attended the news conference to “demonstrate a unified statewide stance” on the issue.
Peters is serving a nine-year sentence after being convicted of orchestrating a 2021 plot to breach the security of Mesa County’s election system. Earlier this month, the federal Bureau of Prisons sent a letter to Colorado’s Department of Corrections requesting Peters’ transfer.
The Colorado County Clerks’ Association opposes the move, saying that allowing Peters to move to federal custody would jeopardize election security and undermine public trust. The group sent a letter to Polis last week, urging him to reject the request.
“Because of the significance of this issue for election officials statewide, we ask that you decline any request to transfer Ms. Peters to federal custody. Colorado’s judicial process should be respected, and the sentence imposed by a Colorado court should be carried out under Colorado’s authority,” the letter said.
But Polis had yet to respond to the letter as of Tuesday’s news conference, the group said.
Following the 2020 election, many of Colorado’s clerks were subjected to harassment and intimidation by Peters’ supporters because they publicly refuted her false claims about the results being stolen or manipulated.
The clerks said Tuesday they have experienced a spike in similar threats in recent days because of their opposition to Peters’ transfer to federal custody. They also said Polis’ lack of a decision on the issue risks emboldening the bad actors making those threats.
“I’ve had to have multiple conversations since 2021 with my family, including this weekend, about credible threats,” said Weld County Clerk Carly Koppes, a Republican. “This is the reality of the impact that Miss Peters has had, not only just on her own life, but every clerk and recorder’s life across the state.”
The clerks also asked Polis, both during the news conference and in last week’s letter, to meet with them to hear directly about their experiences with threats and harassment stemming from Peters’ rhetoric and actions.
Polis’ office said in a statement that no election official should fear for their safety because of their position and that he welcomes a meeting with them.
“The governor welcomes an opportunity to meet with the clerks to hear from them directly,” said Polis’ Press Secretary Shelby Wieman. “Gov. Polis takes his responsibilities seriously and has been clear that he will take threats from the federal government head-on — especially when they undermine our democracy.”
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Secretary of State Jena Griswold also oppose moving Peters to federal prison.
This story was produced by the Capitol News Alliance, a collaboration between KUNC News, Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS and The Colorado Sun, and shared with Rocky Mountain Community Radio and other news organizations across the state. Funding for the Alliance is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.