Tina Peters served as the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder in Colorado until her removal from office in 2021 amid an investigation into her handling of election equipment.[1][2] Elected as a Republican, she gained national attention for promoting unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, aligning with figures like MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.[2] In early 2021, Peters orchestrated a scheme to allow unauthorized access to secure Dominion Voting Systems machines in her office. She directed a deputy to create false security credentials for local resident Gerald Wood, disabled surveillance cameras, and permitted QAnon-linked conspiracy theorist Conan Hayes to copy and distribute proprietary election software data. Prosecutors detailed these actions as an effort to "prove" election irregularities, though no evidence of fraud emerged.[1][2] Her conduct led to the decertification of Mesa County's Dominion systems and prompted Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold to strip Peters of election oversight authority. Peters briefly fled to Texas with Lindell before returning.[2] She ran for Colorado Secretary of State in the 2022 Republican primary but lost decisively.[2] In August 2024, a Mesa County jury convicted Peters on seven counts, including three felonies for attempting to influence a public servant, one felony conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, and three misdemeanors: first-degree official misconduct, violation of duty, and failure to comply with a secretary of state order.[1][2] On October 3, 2024, 21st Judicial District Judge Matthew Barrett sentenced her to nine years in prison—eight years and nine months, mostly in the Colorado Department of Corrections—describing her as defiant, self-centered, and no hero. Peters requested probation, citing inadmissible conspiracy evidence about Dominion machines, but the judge rejected it. Her attorneys have filed notice to appeal.[1][2] As of late 2025, Peters remains incarcerated, with her case highlighting tensions over election integrity claims in U.S. politics.[3]