Colorado clerk Tina Peters pleads not guilty in election tampering case

Colorado clerk Tina Peters pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of election tampering and official misconduct in connection with a security breach of Mesa County’s voting system last year.

Peters faces 10 felony and misdemeanor charges following a grand jury’s indictment related to the breach. She is accused of allowing unauthorized people to break into her county’s election system in search of evidence supporting baseless election fraud theories espoused by former President Donald Trump.

The felony charges include attempting to influence a public servant, criminal impersonation, conspiracy to commit criminal impersonation, and identity theft. Peters also faces misdemeanor charges of official misconduct, violation of duty and failure to comply with requirements of the Colorado secretary of state.

NBC News has reached out to Peters for comment.

Peters, who ran unsuccessfully for Colorado secretary of state this year, has denied wrongdoing and has said the charges against her are politically motivated. While she has issued reports purporting to show suspicious activity within voting systems, those have been debunked by various officials and experts.

Following the allegations, a judge barred Peters from overseeing both last and this years' elections in Mesa County, which Trump won handily in 2020.

Last month, a recount confirmed Peters lost the GOP primary election for Colorado's top elections post. Peters demanded a recount after losing her primary bid by more than 85,000 votes, baselessly alleging fraud, and raised more than $250,000 to fund the effort.

The recount barely changed the results, with Peters picking up just 13 more votes in the June primary election. Peters moved to challenge the primary election recount, suing Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold and the state’s county clerks. A judge on Tuesday threw out Peters’ lawsuit.

News of Peters’ not guilty plea comes the same day the Colorado Supreme Court temporarily blocked her from deposing the judge presiding over the case against her in connection with an unrelated contempt of court matter.