You've probably heard the rumors. In the fever dream of post-2020 election cycles, people were asking if Dominion Voting Systems had been quietly offloaded to a foreign power, a rival, or some shadowy shell company. It’s one of those questions that sounds simple but gets messy fast because of how private equity works.
So, was Dominion Voting sold?
Not recently. Not in the way the internet thinks.
To get the real story, you have to go back to 2018. That was the last time the company actually changed hands in a meaningful way. Since then, it’s been a saga of lawsuits, massive settlements, and a ownership structure that is boringly corporate—which is exactly why it’s so easy to spin into a conspiracy.
The 2018 Staple Street Deal
Dominion wasn't always the household name it is today. For a long time, it was just another mid-sized player in the niche world of election technology. In July 2018, Staple Street Capital, a New York-based private equity firm, acquired a majority stake in Dominion Voting Systems.
They bought it from the original founders and some early investors. John Poulos, the CEO who you might have seen testifying before Congress or appearing on 60 Minutes, actually kept a minority stake in the business. He stayed on to run the ship.
Private equity firms like Staple Street don't usually buy things to keep them forever. Their whole model is "buy, improve, sell." But the timing here was chaotic. They bought a voting machine company right before it became the center of the most litigious election cycle in American history.
Honestly, it’s been a wild ride for them. Instead of a quiet exit, they ended up in a multi-year legal war with Fox News and other media outlets.
Who owns Staple Street Capital?
If you want to know who really owns Dominion, you look at the board. Staple Street was co-founded by Hootan Yaghoobzadeh and Stephen Owens. Before starting their own firm, these guys were veterans of the Carlyle Group.
That’s where the "foreign ownership" rumors usually start to trip up. Because Carlyle is a global behemoth, people try to link Dominion to every country under the sun. But Staple Street is a US-based firm. When the acquisition happened, it went through the standard regulatory checks.
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The $787 Million Question
You can't talk about Dominion's value or its potential sale without talking about the Fox News settlement. In April 2023, right as a massive defamation trial was about to start in Delaware, Fox agreed to pay Dominion $787.5 million.
That is an astronomical amount of money for a company that was previously valued at a fraction of that.
Some analysts thought this might be the moment Dominion gets sold. Why? Because the company’s brand is, frankly, radioactive in half the country. Even though they won the legal battle, the "Dominion" name is now synonymous with controversy. For a business that relies on government contracts from local counties, that’s a tough spot to be in.
But as of 2026, Staple Street still holds the keys. There hasn't been a confirmed sale to a new buyer. They are likely waiting for the dust to fully settle from their remaining lawsuits—like the ones against Rudy Giuliani and Mike Lindell—before they even think about an exit strategy.
Why the "Sold to China" Rumors Stuck
One of the biggest claims that floated around was that Dominion was sold to a Swiss bank with ties to the Chinese government. This centered on a $400 million SEC filing.
Here is what actually happened:
In October 2020, Staple Street Capital III (a specific fund) raised $400 million. One of the banks involved in the paperwork was UBS Securities LLC.
Because UBS has a subsidiary in China, the internet connected dots that weren't actually there. Taking an investment or using a bank for a fundraise is not the same thing as selling the company. Dominion itself didn't get $400 million from China; a private equity fund that owns Dominion raised money from various institutional investors.
It's a nuance that gets lost when people are angry.
The Current State of the Company
Dominion is still operating. They still have contracts in over 28 states. But the business environment has changed. They aren't just selling hardware anymore; they are selling "trust."
And trust is expensive to maintain.
The company has spent millions on security audits and transparency reports. They’ve had to open up their source code to experts and prove, over and over, that their machines aren't connected to the internet.
Key facts about Dominion's current status:
- Headquarters: Denver, Colorado and Toronto, Canada.
- Legal Status: Multiple active defamation lawsuits are still pending in various stages.
- Market Share: They remain one of the "Big Three" in the US, alongside ES&S and Hart InterCivic.
- Ownership: Majority owned by Staple Street Capital; minority owned by John Poulos.
Looking Ahead: Will They Ever Sell?
If I had to bet? Yes, Dominion will eventually be sold or rebranded.
In the world of private equity, five to seven years is the typical "hold" period. Staple Street has owned Dominion for over seven years now. They've already extracted a huge amount of value through the Fox settlement, which likely covered their initial investment many times over.
The problem is finding a buyer.
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Who wants to buy a lightning rod? A larger tech conglomerate might see the cash flow as attractive, but the PR headache is massive. We might see a "stealth" sale where the assets are rolled into a new entity with a generic name like "Global Voting Solutions" or something equally forgettable.
Actionable Steps for Verifying Ownership
If you’re trying to keep track of whether Dominion has been sold in the future, don't rely on social media "bombshells."
- Check SEC Filings: Private equity firms like Staple Street have to file Form D or other disclosures when they raise significant capital or change structures.
- Look at State Contracts: When a company changes ownership, they often have to notify the Secretaries of State where they hold contracts. Most of these records are public.
- Monitor Verified Business News: Outlets like Bloomberg or Reuters cover private equity exits with high accuracy because these deals involve massive amounts of institutional money that can't stay hidden.
The reality of Dominion's ownership is much more "Wall Street" than "International Spy Novel." It's a story of a private equity bet that turned into a legal landmark. For now, the owners who bought it in 2018 are still the ones in charge, navigating a landscape where their brand is famous for all the wrong reasons.