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elleng

(130,128 posts)
Thu Aug 1, 2019, 11:15 AM Aug 2019

A Russian Oligarch Bought Maryland's Election Vendor.

Now These Senators Are Questioning the Rules.

Letter to Rules Committee follows request to Treasury Secretary Mnuchin.

'Maryland’s Democratic senators want a Senate committee to require disclosures of foreign investments in U.S. election systems, an alarm bell set off by a Russian oligarch’s connection to their state’s voter registration system.

The request to the Rules and Administration Committee comes from Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin and Sen. Chris Van Hollen. Van Hollen is also the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

The Maryland senators have been alarmed by a Russian oligarch’s investment connection to ByteGrid LLC, which handles the Old Line State’s voter registration database and candidate management operations.

“As the Rules Committee prepares to mark up the Secure Elections Act, we respectfully request that you sponsor an amendment requiring that an election infrastructure vendor submit a report to the Chair of the [Election Assistance Commission] and the Secretary of [the Department of Homeland Security] identifying any foreign national that directly or indirectly owns or controls the vendor, as well as any material change in ownership resulting in ownership or control by a foreign national,” Cardin and Van Hollen wrote Monday.'>>>

https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/maryland-senators-want-senate-action-election-database-operator-bought-russian?

11 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
A Russian Oligarch Bought Maryland's Election Vendor. (Original Post) elleng Aug 2019 OP
This is big, not just local interest. JudyM Aug 2019 #1
Right elleng Aug 2019 #2
Yeah I got nuthin Leghorn21 Aug 2019 #3
KICK Leghorn21 Aug 2019 #4
Maryland should void that contract and have the legislature pass a bill saying no foreign entity kimbutgar Aug 2019 #5
WTFWTFWTFWTFWTFWTF! dchill Aug 2019 #6
All the voting machine vendors are privately held corporations - which is alarming whether foreign diva77 Aug 2019 #7
I wish OP were in GD as well!!!!!!!! Very important!!!! diva77 Aug 2019 #8
Will repost. elleng Aug 2019 #9
where is the new link? questionseverything Aug 2019 #10
GD: elleng Aug 2019 #11

kimbutgar

(20,876 posts)
5. Maryland should void that contract and have the legislature pass a bill saying no foreign entity
Thu Aug 1, 2019, 02:07 PM
Aug 2019

Can buy an election vendor. But sadly the governor is a repuke so nothing will happen.

My question is why don’t these states run their own election infrastructure?

diva77

(7,604 posts)
7. All the voting machine vendors are privately held corporations - which is alarming whether foreign
Thu Aug 1, 2019, 02:22 PM
Aug 2019

or domestic ownership. Funny how elected officials only react to the foreign investments aspect.

K&R for exposure

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