A Minnesota college student, Max P. Sanders, has taken profiteering and political apathy to new depths in trying to sell his vote on the auction website eBay. He has been charged with a felony, the New York Times reports.

What’s the big deal, respond some people, defending Sanders on grounds of free speech. Tell that to those who gave their lives to ensure our right to vote as well as to those throughout the world who long for such a privilege.