Major Voting Machine Company Changes Hands
Election integrity advocates are assessing potential impacts following the acquisition of Dominion Voting Systems by Scott Leiendecker, founder and CEO of Knowink, according to recent reports. Leiendecker, a former Republican Party operative and election director in Missouri, plans to rebrand the company as Liberty Vote in what sources describe as a “bold and historic move to transform and improve election integrity in America.”
The acquisition comes as United States election infrastructure remains under intense scrutiny following the 2020 presidential election. Dominion, the second-largest voting machine provider in the country, serves 27 states including Georgia, where its systems are used statewide.
Rebranding and Reform Promises
According to company statements, Liberty Vote will be “100 percent American owned” and will distance itself from previous controversies. The company faced false allegations during the 2020 presidential election from former President Donald Trump and supporters who claimed without evidence that the company had rigged results in favor of President Joe Biden.
The rebranded company claims it will adopt a “paper ballot focus” using hand-marked paper ballots, prioritize third-party auditing, and commit to domestic staffing and software development. However, analysts suggest the press release provided limited details about how these changes would be implemented in practice.
International Development Questions
Dominion has developed its software in Canada and Belgrade, Serbia for two decades, with numerous programmers in Serbia employed by the company according to LinkedIn profiles. The Liberty statement did not clarify whether the company plans to rewrite code developed by these foreign workers or replace them with American programmers.
An unnamed Liberty official told WIRED that Leiendecker “is committed to 100 percent domestic staffing and software development,” though another source indicated to CNN that Liberty will maintain operations in Canada, where Dominion machines are widely used.
Election Security Experts Voice Concerns
Philip Stark, professor of statistics at UC Berkeley and longtime election-integrity advocate, told WIRED that Liberty’s emphasis on domestic-only workers represents a “red herring” regarding security. “If the claim is that this is somehow a security measure, it isn’t. Because programmers based in the US also may be interested in undermining or altering election integrity,” Stark stated.
The company’s commitment to third-party audits, which Liberty officials describe as a “top-to-bottom, independent review” of software and equipment, is scheduled to occur ahead of next year’s midterm elections according to Axios reporting. The company has pledged to “rebuild or retire” machines as needed based on audit findings.
Broader Industry Context
This acquisition occurs alongside other significant technology manufacturing shifts, including Microsoft’s reported manufacturing changes and developments in AI gaming technology. Meanwhile, digital platform innovations continue evolving across multiple sectors.
Election security experts continue monitoring how Liberty Vote’s ownership transition and operational changes might affect voting systems ahead of crucial election cycles, with many emphasizing that true election security requires transparent processes regardless of developer nationality.
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