US warns Musk political group that $1m voter giveaway may be illegal

Posted on by

In a recent interview, we learned about a letter that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) sent to Elon Musk’s political action committee, America PAC. The letter raised concerns that Musk’s lottery-style giveaway of $1 million per day to registered voters could potentially violate federal election laws.

Musk, known as the world’s richest individual, has been an outspoken supporter of Republican candidate Donald Trump in the upcoming presidential election against Kamala Harris. Over the past weekend, Musk, who owns Tesla and X/Twitter, kicked off his initiative by offering cash prizes to Americans who signed a petition.

While it’s unclear when the DOJ correspondence reached Musk’s organization, reports indicate that it came after a wave of backlash from Democrats regarding the cash incentive. Major news outlets, including CBS News and the BBC’s US partner, revealed that the letter outlined the potential legal issues related to Musk’s giveaway.

According to US laws, it is illegal to pay individuals to register to vote, but the legality of Musk’s sweepstakes remains uncertain. His contest promises financial rewards to those who sign a petition circulated by America PAC. “We want to try to get over a million, maybe 2 million voters in the battleground states to sign the petition in support of the First and Second Amendment,” Musk stated during an event in Pennsylvania when he announced the initiative.

The rules of the contest stipulate that winners must be registered voters, with no requirement for party affiliation. Musk emphasized, “We are going to be awarding $1 million (£770,000) randomly to people who have signed the petition, every day, from now until the election.”

The America PAC’s website outlines a goal of mobilizing “1 million registered voters in swing states to sign in support of the Constitution, especially freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.” This initiative is targeting voters in seven key swing states: Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, with Election Day set for November 5.