Dominion Voting Systems, the voting software firm that found itself at the center of baseless election fraud claims by Donald Trump and his allies following Joe Biden’s 2020 victory, has been bought by a company run by a former Republican election official.
Scott Leiendecker, who runs the “nation’s leading provider of electronic poll books” in KnowInk, is the owner of the new company Liberty Vote, which purchased Dominion for an undisclosed sum on Thursday. Additionally, Dominion will now be renamed Liberty Vote, and the firm’s website redirects to an announcement by Leiendecker under the new name.
“Today, I am proud to announce Liberty Vote — a 100% American‐owned election technology company dedicated to restoring trust in our elections. Our mission is clear: every vote must be secure, fair, and verifiable,” Leiendecker declares in the online statement.
The Canadian-based Dominion was one of the biggest election equipment providers in the world and had been used in the majority of American states in the 2024 presidential election. Under Leiendecker’s ownership, Liberty Vote promises to maintain 100 percent American ownership with domestic staffing.
“As of today, Dominion is gone. Liberty Vote assumes full ownership and operational control,” he said in a statement, noting that the purchase represented “a new chapter for American elections – one where trust is rebuilt from the ground up.”
Leiendecker, meanwhile, has long been active in Republican politics. Former Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt appointed him to investigate St. Louis’ elections administration following the 2000 election, which eventually led to his appointment as the city’s Republican election director.
As Axios noted, Trump loyalist Ed Martin – who, as interim U.S. attorney in D.C., targeted prosecutors working on January 6-related cases – was the chair of the St. Louis Board of Elections when Leiendecker served in his role for the city.
It would appear that Liberty Vote is looking to align itself closely with Trump’s “election integrity” vision going forward, especially as the president has long sown doubt about the accuracy of the nation’s voting systems while pushing groundless conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him due to voting machines “rigging” millions of votes.
With the president demanding in March that states use a “voting verifiable paper record” going forward, Liberty Votes said it would ensure it is in “compliance with Trump’s executive order.” A the same time, election officials across the nation have said that electronic voting systems are fast and secure, and that paper-only ballots would lead to delayed results without any improvement on security.
“With Liberty Vote, we are building on that legacy. We are turning the page and beginning the vital work of restoring faith in American elections,” Leiendecker said in a statement. “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.”
The sale of Dominion comes after the voting systems firm spent the past few years defending its reputation in court and seeking damages from conservative news outlets and Trump allies who falsely accused the company of stealing the election for Biden.
Most notably, Dominion reached a massive $787.5 million settlement with Fox News in 2023. Dominion alleged that the right-wing cable giant amplified baseless election fraud claims in an effort to boost sagging ratings after disgruntled MAGA fans fled the network over its early Arizona election call.
Dominion would go on to settle similar billion-dollar defamation lawsuits against far-right news organizations, including receiving a $67 million payment in August to resolve its libel suit against Newsmax.
According to Axios, as part of its deal with Liberty Vote, Dominion was asked to reach agreements on its remaining lawsuits. Therefore, in recent weeks, Dominion has come to terms with former Trump attorney Sidney Powell, the MAGA network One America News, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who also served as the president’s personal lawyer.
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