Dominion Voting Systems Acquired by Knowink CEO: Implications for Election Integrity
Last week, the acquisition of Dominion Voting Systems by Scott Leiendecker, founder and CEO of Knowink—an electronic poll book manufacturer based in Missouri—has raised questions among election integrity advocates concerning potential impacts on U.S. voter confidence and the electoral process.
In an official statement, Leiendecker announced a rebranding of Dominion under the name Liberty Vote, describing it as a transformative effort aimed at enhancing election integrity across America. The move appears to address previous controversies regarding Dominion’s technology, which faced unsubstantiated claims from former President Trump and his allies regarding alleged election rigging in favor of President Biden during the 2020 presidential election.
Liberty Vote emphasized its identity as an entirely American-owned enterprise, committed to a hand-marked paper ballot approach. The company claims it will prioritize collaboration with third-party auditing firms and focus on domestic software development. However, the press release lacked specific details regarding how these commitments would translate into actionable practices.
Dominion, a major U.S. voting equipment provider operating in 27 states—including Georgia—has historically developed its software resources in Canada and Belgrade, Serbia. This has raised further questions among experts regarding whether Liberty Vote will alter its reliance on foreign developers or modify existing code that has potentially been shaped by international personnel.
A representative from Liberty Vote declined to provide detailed information on potential changes to coding practices, only stating Leiendecker’s commitment to domestic staffing and software development. Meanwhile, sources indicated that the company might still maintain operations in Canada, where its voting machines are actively utilized.
Philip Stark, a statistics professor at UC Berkeley and long-time advocate for election integrity, described the insistence on 100% domestic labor as a superficial assurance. He pointed out that U.S.-based developers may also pose risks to election integrity, challenging the narrative that domestic hiring alone can bolster security.
Regarding the proposed third-party audits mentioned in the company’s press release, a Liberty representative suggested that there would be a thorough independent evaluation of the software and systems used by Dominion. This audit aims to occur ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, with the intention of identifying vulnerabilities and reinforcing public trust in the electoral machinery.
The landscape of voting technology and its implications for cybersecurity remains complex. Participation by outside developers has the potential to expose systems to various threats, including tactics found within the MITRE ATT&CK framework, such as initial access and privilege escalation. As Liberty announces its plans, stakeholders must remain vigilant, scrutinizing the measures taken to ensure the integrity and security of the electoral process moving forward.
