Every day that former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters is in the news for efforts to release her from state custody, it creates added risk for election officials, according to a bipartisan group of county clerks.
Clerks from several Colorado counties held a virtual press conference Tuesday to call out Governor Jared Polis for not publicly dismissing requests to have Peters moved into federal custody. Peters is in state prison after being convicted of crimes related to allowing unauthorized access to Mesa County voting equipment. Her conviction on state charges means a pardon could only be granted by Polis. The latest effort to help her has come from appeals to have her transferred to federal custody.
Thus far, the governor has not said that he will or won’t grant the request. Boulder County Clerk Molly Fitzpatrick said Polis' silence on the issue is “offensive” while others on the call asked that Polis publicly reject the request.
“Governor Polis, do not release her to federal custody. She has shown no remorse and will likely push others to act illegally if given the opportunity. Doing the right thing still matters, uphold the justice that was earned under Colorado law, keep her in Colorado custody. If you don't, you are telling every clerk in this state that the threats we face don't matter,” Routt County Clerk Jenny Thomas said.
The press conference comes days after Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and 21st Judicial District Attorney Dan Rubinstein sent a letter to the governor asking him to reject the federal custody request. Rubinstein, a Republican, prosecuted Peters along with the AG’s office. The Colorado County Clerks Association issued their own letter making a similar request of the governor.
Colorado clerks on Tuesday said the governor’s lack of communication on Peters’ custody furthered both speculation and continued threats to county clerks, Fitzpatrick said.
“Every moment that this decision hangs, we are feeling the pain. We're feeling the brunt. Over the weekend, after we put out our request and our letter, there was an immediate uptick in concerns about our safety for election officials,” Fitzpatrick said. “Every time there's this attention on Tina Peters, we feel the heat of it. And so again, we need him to make a decision. We need him to meet with us and we need him to hear our concerns.”
Weld County Clerk Carly Koppes said there is a direct link between threats that clerks have received and supporters of Peters.
“The communications that I've received from people who have been confirmed as legitimate threats have explicitly put her name in these communications and have asked me and pleaded (with) me to do the same thing that she has done. And if I don't, then I should be pulled out into the parking lot and tarred and feathered,” Koppes said.
As of publication, Gov. Polis’ office had not yet responded to a request for comment.
