Authorities in Michigan are investigating how a device used by voters ended up for sale on eBay.
An election machine security expert in Connecticut spotted the voter assist terminal on the online marketplace and purchased it for $1,200 before alerting Michigan authorities, CNN reported.
“We are actively working with law enforcement to investigate allegations of an illegal attempt to sell a voter assist terminal acquired in Michigan,” said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson in a statement on Thursday.
Benson clarified that voter assist terminals are “not used to tabulate ballots, but are typically used by voters with disabilities who need assistance marking their ballot privately at polling places.”
In an interview with CNN, Ohio resident Ean Hutchison claims he purchased the device online at Goodwill for $7.99 before auctioning it on eBay.
“I wasn’t even aware that they were supposed to be sold, let alone donated to Goodwill,” he told the outlet.
Voting machines were central to former president Donald Trump’s arguments falsely claiming he beat President Biden in the 2020 election. In Michigan, Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel has accused her rival, Trump-backed Republican Matthew DePerno, of engaging in a conspiracy to gain access to voting machines used in the 2020 presidential election.
“Our elections are and remain safe and secure,” Benson in a tweet on Thursday. “We take seriously all violations of election law and will be working with authorities to ensure there are consequences for those who break the law.”
Goodwill and eBay did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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