Sara Yasin gave up her vote for the upcoming North Carolina Democratic presidential primary when she decided there was not enough distinction between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to swing her vote toward either.
Yasin, a North Carolina State University senior, placed her vote for sale on eBay for 15 cents April 4.
Four days later, the North Carolina State Board of Elections asked her to remove the listing when bidding reached $11.50.
Don Wright, the board's general counsel, said board members received a call from California notifying them of Yasin's auction on eBay.
"We contacted her and told her it was a state and federal felony to try to sell her vote," he said. "As soon as she realized how serious it was, she took it down."
Wright added that vote-buying is a crime that has been decreasing rapidly in North Carolina and said the issue is seldom confronted by the Board of Elections.
Yasin said although she thought putting her vote on eBay might be wrong, she did not know it was a felony.
"When I found out, I talked to someone and apologized," Yasin said. "They were really, really nice, and I ended the bidding and declared no winner on eBay."
Yasin added that voting is important to her and she was trying to make a point rather than show a disregard for the right to vote.
"I've been put in a position where people expect me as a Muslim-a minority-to vote for Obama, and as a woman to vote for Clinton," Yasin said. "I don't want to feel like I owe anyone my vote."
She said she had planned to donate the proceeds to Satellite, a campus group that funds an annual retreat at NCSU for rural North Carolina students interested in finance and technology careers.
Despite the premature end to her online auction, Yasin said the important thing was that it generated conversation among students on her campus.
"People have been aggressive about supporting one candidate or the other, like [either candidate] is the answer to all of the U.S. problems," she said. "It's good to be passionate about your country and politics, but putting so much blind faith into someone who is probably going to change their policies once they're elected-it's dangerous."
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