Pro-Trump former county clerk guilty of tampering with voting machines

A former Mesa county clerk and failed Republican politician has been found guilty of tampering with her county’s election machines in the aftermath of the 2020 US presidential election.

Tina Peters, who is a prominent figure among election deniers who falsely believe the 2020 election was rigged against Donald Trump, was found guilty of seven out of 10 charges by the jury after four hours of deliberation on Monday (12 August).

The inditement in the case said Peters engaged in “a deceptive scheme which was designed to influence public servants, breach security protocols, exceed permissible access to voting equipment and set in motion the eventual distribution of confidential information to unauthorized people”.

The former elected official was accused of using a security badge to give an unauthorised person access to the Mesa County election system on the day of a system update in May 2021. Pictures of the election equipment were subsequently shared online.

Prosecutors said Peters’ motive was seeking fame, with Peters allegedly becoming “fixated” on voting problems after she became involved with people who questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election results. 

The defence argued Peters only wished to preserve election records after the county told her it would not allow her to have one of its technology experts present at the software update.

Her defence lawyer, John Case, said Peters had to preserve the records to find out if they were being accessed by foreign powers.

The jury convicted Peters of three counts of attempting to influence a public official, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, official misconduct, violation of duty, as well as failure to comply with an order by the secretary of the state. She was acquitted of three other changes: conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, criminal impersonation, and identity theft.

“The defendant was a fox guarding the henhouse. It was her job to protect the election equipment, and she turned on it and used her power for her own advantage,” said prosecutor Janet Drake, a lawyer at the Colorado attorney general’s office.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a statement. “Tina Peters willfully compromised her own election equipment trying to prove Trump’s Big Lie.

“Today’s verdict sends a clear message: we will not tolerate any effort to threaten the security of our gold standard elections,” she added.

Sentencing is scheduled for 3 October, where Peters could face up to 20 years imprisonment if given the maximum prison term for all crimes.