Gov. Jared Polis Fires Two Board Members After They Leak Tina Peters Clemency Vote

Two members. One secret board. A public revolt that cost them their jobs.

Gov. Jared Polis didn’t just fire them; he made an example of them. The two clemency board members were dismissed Wednesday after they broke the golden rule of the Executive Clemency Advisory Board: keep your mouth shut. They revealed that the board had twice rejected former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters’ requests for a shortened sentence.

Polis commuted Peters’ nearly nine-year prison sentence on June 1. The board said no. Twice. The governor said yes.

The board operates in the dark. Recommendations are confidential. Voting records are hidden. That’s the point. You don’t want the public second-guessing every vote based on a leaked snippet. But these two members decided to go public. They wanted credit for their "no" votes. They got fired instead.

Let’s look at the numbers here. Peters served about nine years. She was convicted in 2024 of allowing unauthorized access to voting machines to prove the 2020 election was rigged. It’s the same conspiracy theory that put Donald Trump in the Oval Office, at least temporarily. Peters visited the White House on June 30. Trump posted a photo of her standing near him. Truth Social claimed she came to thank him for getting her released.

Polis didn’t just let her go. He freed her.

The backlash was immediate. Liberals were angry. Democrats censured the lame-duck governor. They sidelined him from party events. This week, social media exploded with outrage after those Oval Office photos dropped. Peters is now a martyr to the MAGA crowd and a dangerous figure to the left. The pair tried to navigate that divide. They voted twice against her release. They told everyone.

Polis’ office stated the members violated confidentiality essential to the clemency process. The New York Times reported the firings first. The Colorado Sun confirmed the details.

Why does this matter to you? It matters because the clemency board advises the governor on pardons and sentence commutations. It’s a small panel. A few people. They hold the power to shorten sentences or wipe them clean. When they operate in secret, you don’t know who’s influencing the governor. When they go public, like these two did, you get a glimpse behind the curtain. And sometimes, the curtain gets ripped down.

Peters’ commutation sparked national backlash. It deepened the anger within the Democratic party. Critics on the left see her as a threat to voting systems. Supporters see her as a victim of political persecution. The ousted officials tried to navigate that divide. They voted twice against her release. They told everyone.

Polis has no regrets. He told The Colorado Sun the commutation “will be remembered fondly.”

The board members? They’re out. The confidentiality is back. The process continues in the dark.

For locals, this is a reminder that the people making decisions about prison sentences and pardons aren’t always transparent. You don’t get to see the votes. You don’t get to see the deliberations. You just get the outcome. And when the governor decides to override the board, he makes sure the board stays quiet.

That’s the cost of secrecy. You lose the ability to hold them accountable until they break. And when they break, they lose their jobs.

Polis fired them. The board is silent. Peters is free. The story moves on.