Elon Musk’s latest stunt? Giving free money to the 12 states that can deliver the swing vote. The Billionaire’s America PAC connects good fortune with money and is rewarding one voter with $1 million per day until the US election on November 5. But is this bold move legal? Legal analysts and commentators are pondering whether Tesla Motors Inc. owner Elon Musk’s campaign contribution stunt is legal or not.
Musk has petitioned to hold a referendum on behalf of a Trump candidacy in the next election in the United States, particularly in the urbanized states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada, and dangled a carrot in terms of cash rewards for citizens to sign in support of free speech and the right to bear arms. The offer? $100 paid per signature or referral in Pennsylvania or $47 in any other state.
Daily, any of the signatories is selected by the computer, and he gets $ 1 million. The first winner was unveiled at a town hall meeting organized on October 19 in Pennsylvania, which triggered quite a frenzy getting legal too. Opponents argue that this cash-for-signature may contravene the federal election law that bars individuals from buying the registration or the vote of a voter.
Every night, @America will announce another $1M winner!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 20, 2024
All you have to do is sign our petition in support of The Constitution. https://t.co/Zsda5ao2In
Is Musk Over the Legal Line? $1 Million Giveaway
Some lawyers think that Musk is violating the law, while others suggest he may have discovered a legal way of doing so. Elon’s team claims that the payments are collected for gathering signatures for a petition and not to register to vote, and therefore the unfair scheme is put in a legal ‘grey area’. However, opponents from the watchdog groups and law professors still raise doubt, saying that the cash incentives are instead directly related to voter registration and may be ‘legally questionable’.
Brad Smith, ex-chairman of the Federal Election Commission, said to this newspaper that the giveaway is not that close to the line and may indeed be lawful. But according to election law professor Michael Kang, it doesn’t seem like a scheme; it appears to be too calculated to be a veiled attempt at boosting voter registration.
Currently, mass media is full of complaints from Democratic officials such as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro regarding Musk’s tactics. Shapiro demanded that the scheme should be investigated and referred to as “extremely worrisome.” On the same note, billionaire investor Mark Cuban, who supports Kamala Harris, described the strategy as desperate, even though it is creative.
Musk fired back by stating how hypocritical this is from Democrats and noted that larger mail-in vote outreach was done by Mark Zuckerberg in the 2020 election. However, Zuckerberg donated money to pay for local mail facilities instead of handing envelopes directly to voters.
Where Does This Leave Musk?
At present, the legal consequences remain unknown. Some think that Musk’s plan will not be noticed by the authorities, and some think that the Department of Justice will intervene against his plan. Still, there are no doubts that Musk is more actively engaged in American politics now than ever before, supporting Trump and joining him on the trail.
Whether this bold move helps Trump or backfires remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: Elon Musk always loves to court controversy.
