“Biden's sister is married to Stephen Owens, who owns Dominion Voting Systems.”
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President Joe Biden, center, and his sister Valerie Biden Owens, left, walk out of St. Joseph on the Brandywine Catholic Church in Wilmington, Delaware, after attending a mass, Saturday, April 20, 2024. (AP)
No, Valerie Biden Owens is not married to Dominion Voting Systems owner
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Valerie Biden Owens is married to Jack Owens, not Stephen Owens.
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Jack Owens, a law school classmate of President Joe Biden’s, and Stephen Owens, whose company has invested in Dominion Voting Systems, are not related.
Is President Joe Biden’s sister married to the owner of Dominion Voting Systems? No, but a viral Instagram video proclaims otherwise.
"Dominion voting machines: Biden's Sister Is Married To Stephen Owens, Who Owns Dominion Voting Systems," text on the June 8 video said. "Does Anyone Else See This As a Huge Conflict Of Interest?"
The Instagram post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Threads, and Instagram.)
Biden’s only sister, Valerie Biden Owens, is married to John "Jack" Owens, not Stephen Owens.
According to her website, Jack Owens is an attorney and businessman. The pair married on Oct. 11, 1975, at a church at the United Nations Plaza in New York, a New York Times wedding announcement says. Jack Owens and President Biden were classmates at the Syracuse University College of Law and both graduated in 1968.
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Stephen Owens co-founded Staple Street Capital, which has Dominion Voting Systems among its investments. The voting company sells election hardware and software to state and local governments in the United States and Canada. After the 2020 elections, Dominion Voting Systems was the subject of misinformation by conservatives. In 2023, Dominion reached a $787 million settlement with Fox News over false election claims.
Stephen Owens and Jack Owens are not related.
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Reuters, The Associated Press and USA Today have also debunked this claim. A Dominion Voting Systems spokesperson referred PolitiFact to the Reuters story, which includes a Dominion representative saying that Stephen Owens and Jack Owens are not related.
We rate the claim that Joe Biden’s sister is married to Dominion Voting Systems’ owner False.
RELATED: The fallout from spreading election falsehoods: lawsuits, settlements and bankruptcy filings
Our Sources
Instagram post (archived link), Jun. 8, 2024
Valerie Biden Owens, About Valerie, Jun. 11, 2024
The New York Times, Bridal at U.N. for Miss Biden, Oct. 12, 1975
Harvard Kennedy School, Valerie Biden Owens, accessed Jun. 13, 2024
The Washington Post, Biden’s sister, Valerie, at his side for 74 years — and for one final goal, Aug. 30, 2020
Reuters, Fact check: Joe Biden’s sister is not married to Dominion Voting Systems’ owner, Dec. 23, 2020
Syracuse.com, Vice president Joe Biden meets SU law school classmates, faculty after giving commencement speech, May. 10, 2009
Syracuse.com, New faces, familiar faces: Past and future merge for Biden, in Syracuse, Sep. 20, 2023
The Associated Press, Fox, Dominion reach $787M settlement over election claims, Apr. 18, 2023
The Associated Press, Biden family does not own Dominion Voting Systems, Dec. 23, 2020
USA Today, Fact check: No, Joe Biden's brother-in-law does not own Dominion Voting Systems, Dec. 24, 2020
Bloomberg, Stephen D Owens "Steve", accessed Jun. 14, 2024
Check Your Fact, Fact check: Does Joe Biden’s brother-in-law own Dominion Voting Systems?, Dec. 22, 2020
Dominion Voting Systems, Get the facts about Dominion Voting Systems, accessed Jun. 14, 2024
Email exchange with Grayson Pearce, Dominion Voting Systems, Jun 14, 2024
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No, Valerie Biden Owens is not married to Dominion Voting Systems owner
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