University of Minnesota Student Tries to Sell His Vote on EBay

While most Americans were celebrating Independence Day, a University of Minnesota Student is facing possible prison time for trying to sell the very thing his country fought so hard get: the right to vote.

On May 28, Max Sanders, a 19-year-old from Edina, Minnesota, used the eBay ID "zepdrummer612" to place an eBay listing selling his vote in the next presidential election. The ad read:

"I am having trouble deciding who to vote for in the Presidential Election, so I am putting my vote up for sale. I am a legal resident of the state of Minnesota, and I am 19 years old. I am legally allowed to vote, and I have already voted in one previous election. The rules are simple, the highest bigger will tell me who to cast my vote for in the election. I will vote for any candidate of any party, as long as they are on the ballot. If the highest bidder so chooses, I will also abstain from voting, if that is what they so choose. To prove that I will actually vote for the candidate of the highest bidder's choice, I will photograph myself inside the voting booth with my filled out ballot. Good luck! You're [sic] country depends on You!"

The minimum bid was set at $10. The listing ran on eBay for one week but didn't receive much attention from eBay buyers. The eBay listing ended on June 4, 2008, with no bids.

According to Star Tribune, Sander's eBay listing did catch the attention of the California Secretary of State's office. Their office contacted the Minnesota Secretary of State's office. A Hennepin County attorney was notified and sent a subpoena to eBay requesting the identity and billing information of the seller.

The seller, Max Sanders, says the eBay listing was only a joke.

That joke could end up being a very costly joke for Sanders. A 1893 Minnesota law makes it a crime to knowingly buy or sell a vote. Sanders has been charged with a felony and is facing 0 to 5 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

Breaking the 1893 Minnesota law was popular back in the 1920s, when people would often sell their vote in exchange for liquor. But Hennepin County Attorney Pat Diamond cannot remember any modern day cases.