U student's eBay auction draws 0 bids, 1 felony charge - Selling His Vote

[RamboLiberal]

When politicians claim scads of people earn a living by selling stuff on eBay, Max P. Sanders probably wasn't the sort of person they had in mind.

Sanders, a 19-year-old University of Minnesota student, was charged with a felony Thursday, after placing an auction ad on eBay with the headline, "I'm selling my vote in the Presidential Election."

"The rules are simple, the highest bidder will tell me who to cast my vote for in the election," he wrote. "I will vote for any candidate of any party, as long as they are on the ballot."

He also said that to prove he'd carried out the winning bidder's wishes, "i will photograph myself inside the voting booth with my filled out ballot."

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He got no bids, and an investigator for the county attorney's office said Sanders told him the whole thing "was a joke." Minnesota Statutes Chapter 211B.13, Subdivision 2, however, calls it "Bribery, Treating, and Soliciting," and it's punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

"We'll approach this with a good degree of common sense and hopefully we can find a punishment that's fitting of the crime," said Pat Diamond, a deputy Hennepin County attorney.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_9781499?source=most_emailed

As long as he gets some sentence like light community service and his record is expunged fairly quickly, how about at a polling booth or taking a civics lesson, I side with the DA on this one.

[Renew Deal]

1. He should have to serve as a poll worker for the next 10 years.

He'll get to know lots of nice elderly people. :D

[Vinca]

2. Curious they go after this kid, but let Limbaugh off re Project Chaos. nt

[ecstatic]

5. exactly. They have a lot of time on their hands

Not to mention, $

[Ian David]

3. Let's put his punishment up for bid on eBay! Let's start with 9 months community service.

Do I hear 1 year in prison?

[jtrockville]

4. Does this law apply to Representatives and Senators....

who sell their votes?

[fasttense]

6. He should have sold his soul instead.

Republicans do it every day for lots of money.

[Jack Rabbit]

7. But our congresscritters do that all the time

Why are they picking on him?