Dominion Voting Systems Sold to Former GOP Election Official, Renamed ‘Liberty Vote’

Scott Leiendecker, a former GOP election official, announced his private acquisition of Dominion Voting Systems on Thursday. Dominion was required to drop all remaining lawsuits against conservatives as part of the deal, and it was renamed “Liberty Vote.” 

The Details: Leiendecker, a former elections director in St. Louis, Mo., is the founder of KNOWiNK, which is reportedly the largest provider of electronic poll books with verification technology. His acquisition of the company is expected to align with President Donald Trump’s controversial “Preserving and Protecting The Integrity of American Elections” executive order from March. Leiendecker referred to Liberty Vote as “100% American owned.” The Hill (Center bias) noted that Dominion was “headquartered in Canada,” while Associated Press (Left) called it “Denver-based.”

For Context: Dominion, one of the US’ largest voting equipment providers, filed a series of defamation lawsuits against conservatives who accused the company of contributing to voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election. Fox News (Right) agreed to a $787 million settlement in 2023, and Newsmax (Right) agreed to pay $67 million earlier this year.

Key Quotes: “We are turning the page and beginning the vital work of restoring faith in American elections. While these changes will not happen overnight, Liberty Vote's mission is rooted in American values and committed to transparency, independent audits, and verifiable paper records,” Leiendecker wrote in a statement. He reportedly told Daily Caller (Right), “Every legacy system is under review… We won’t ask for trust – we’ll earn it and prove it.”

How The Media Covered It: This story was covered most prominently by media outlets on the left of the political spectrum. Associated Press framed Dominion as “a target of false conspiracy theories from President Donald Trump and his supporters,” frequently using the word “conspiracy.” The Hill more neutrally said Dominion was “at the center of controversy and false stolen-election claims.” AP highlighted Trump’s executive order as “seeking sweeping changes to election policies that multiple judges have put on hold for violating the Constitution.” Daily Caller omitted a mention of the judges’ holds and instead stated that the order “is designed to safeguard the electoral process and uphold federal standards.” AP also noted, alternatively, “KNOWiNK had seemed to steer clear of 2020 conspiracy theories and acted like a typical, nonpartisan firm,” according to some election officials. 

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