Tina Peters, the former county clerk of Mesa County, Colorado, was found guilty of four felony counts and three misdemeanor counts related to a significant election security breach. She was accused of bringing a computer analyst aligned with the election denial movement into a protected software update meeting for Dominion election machines in her county. The analyst attended the update under a disguise and digital images from the update were leaked online, leading to an investigation by state officials. Peters was found guilty of using the identity of a local resident to deceive county and state officials during the software update, and instructed security cameras to be turned off. Despite the charges against her, Peters became popular among Republican Party faithful and received support as a candidate for secretary of state.
The trial of Tina Peters highlighted the national scope of the election conspiracy theory movement, which gained momentum after Donald Trump’s denial of his own reelection loss in 2020. Peters was connected to national figures in the election conspiracy theory community, including the CEO of MyPillow, Mike Lindell, who funded her defense fund. Jurors heard secretly-recorded conversations between Peters and election conspiracy theorists, which revealed ties to Lindell and their efforts to root out “phantom” ballots. Peters’ trial also showed the influence of national figures in local elections, as Lindell and other election conspiracy theorists attended events in Mesa County to support her.
The prosecution in Peters’ trial argued that she used deceit to commit fraud by allowing outsiders, including members of the national election conspiracy theory movement, to infiltrate a sensitive software update for voting machines. Peters’ defense maintained that she did not break any laws by disguising the computer analyst as a local resident and sharing information about the software update. The defense argued that no harm was done by Peters’ actions and that it was not illegal to have the public present during the trusted build. However, prosecutors painted Peters as the architect of a conspiracy that connected national election conspiracy theorists with local collaborators to undermine election security.
Peters’ trial also revealed internal disagreements among Mesa County officials, with Peters’ then-deputy and another former employee testifying against her as part of plea deals. These witnesses attested to Peters’ deceptive actions during the software update and her involvement in trying to expose supposed election fraud. The breach in Mesa County led to the decertification of existing voting machines and their replacement with new Dominion machines. Peters faces sentencing in October and could potentially face years in prison for the charges against her. The verdict against Peters sends a clear message that election security breaches will not be tolerated and that those who threaten the integrity of elections will face consequences.
Overall, Tina Peters’ trial sheds light on the intersection of national and local politics, as well as the influence of election conspiracy theorists in undermining election security. The case serves as a warning about the dangers of misinformation and deceit in the electoral process, and underscores the importance of upholding the integrity of elections. Peters’ guilty verdict highlights the consequences of actions that threaten the security of elections and the need to safeguard the democratic process from outside interference.
