Colorado Gov. Jared Polis condemned talk of seizing ballots after they are counted, calling it dangerous and urging President Donald Trump and his team to lower the temperature around elections. Polis did not mention former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters or explain how his comments relate to his decision to commute her sentence. The governor’s statement Thursday followed reports that Peters met with Trump earlier this week to discuss a plan for the midterm elections. Ed Martin, a former U.S. Department of Justice pardon attorney under Trump, said on the streaming program “Bolling!” that Peters met with the president in the Oval Office to discuss election plans. Peters’ attorney, Peter Ticktin, described the proposal as taking control of ballots after voting machines count them, then conducting a second count. Ticktin said the idea would not involve an emergency order to stop elections beforehand. His spokesperson said he was limited in what he could discuss about Peters because he represents her. “If there was any discussion of seizing ballot boxes or, even worse, a civil war in the context of our free elections, that’s dangerous and unbefitting the office of the President of the United States,” Polis said. He also described Colorado’s elections as secure and said attempts to undermine confidence in them or make voting harder were irresponsible and unacceptable. Polis argued that the proposals were an effort to distract from rising costs under Trump and congressional Republicans. He did not address his May decision to commute Peters’ nearly nine-year sentence, which prompted criticism from Democrats concerned she had not shown remorse and could continue promoting false election claims. Polis has said his decision reflected concerns about Peters’ age and free-speech rights. Peters was convicted in 2024 of multiple charges stemming from unauthorized access to voting equipment while she was Mesa County clerk. She said she was trying to prove election fraud; no evidence of such fraud emerged at trial or in local law enforcement investigations. Polis’s commutation shortened her sentence, and Peters was released. Matt Crane, head of the Colorado County Clerks Association, said election officials have heard civil-war rhetoric from election deniers for years. He also rejected Peters’ standing as an election adviser, saying she had shown little understanding of election administration and had been duped into the security breach she led. Ticktin, speaking on a podcast hosted by Colorado political activist Joe Oltmann, also discussed the possibility of political conflict following the election. He said that if the vote were “crazy,” the country would need a leader with experience in what was coming, apparently referring to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Ticktin added that if a civil war occurred, it would be better for martial law to be imposed with “our side” controlling the government and weapons. Crane said the election community does not regard Peters as a qualified expert. Colorado officials have repeatedly promoted the state’s voting system as secure, while election administrators nationwide face ongoing efforts to undermine public confidence in vote-counting and results.