US Justice Dept warns Elon Musk over $1m vote-buying

US Justice Dept warns Elon Musk over $1m vote-buying

Elon Musk’s latest effort to get swing state voters to the polls is raising legal questions after he announced this weekend that he plans to give $1 million once a day to a random registered Pennsylvania voter who signs the petition for his political action committee (PAC).

CNN reported Wednesday that the Justice Department has warned Musk and his PAC that his $1 million giveaway could violate the federal law against paying people to register to vote. Speaking at an America PAC event in Harrisburg, Pa., over the weekend, Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX founder, said the prize money would be awarded every day “from now until the election,” on Nov. 5. The America PAC is a political organization founded by Musk to help reelect former President Donald Trump to the White House.

Musk even handed a giant check to a petition signer at the event.

Musk is the wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $242 billion. As of this reporting, he has already spent at least $75 million to help reelect Trump. Earlier this month, Musk offered supporters $47 for each registered voter they recruited in seven battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — to sign his petition.

Trump, who was campaigning in Pennsylvania on Sunday, was asked about Musk’s $1 million giveaway and said, “I haven’t followed that,” the Associated Press reported.

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While Musk and his PAC have not publicly commented on the debate, Musk’s allies have argued that since Musk is not paying for voter registration, but for a petition signature, then it’s not illegal, according to the New York Times. But some legal experts suggest that Musk’s latest stunt is pushing the boundaries of election law.

What exactly is a PAC?

As defined by the Federal Election Commission, PACs are tax-exempt committees that may receive unlimited finance contributions that go toward financing political activity, like campaigns. Super-PACs can also accept money from corporations and other entities that are usually barred from donating directly to candidates.

America PAC is categorized as a super-PAC, which means it can also get donations from other PACs.

What is Elon Musk doing with his PAC?

Musk’s PAC aims to get signatures on a petition supporting the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects freedom of speech, and the Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to keep and bear arms.

America PAC’s website also mentions supporting the “values” of secure borders, sensible spending, safe cities and a fair justice system. The supporting evidence for why each value is a priority is links to X posts — including some from Musk himself.

“One of the challenges we’re having is how do we get people to know about this petition,” Musk said at the town hall on Oct. 19. “The legacy media won’t report on it; not everyone’s on X. So, I figure, how do we get people to know about it? This news, I think, is really gonna fly.”

US Justice Dept warns Elon Musk over $1m vote-buying