Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX, is pledging to give away $1 million a day to voters for signing his political action committee’s petition supporting the Constitution. Some experts are questioning the legality of this plan, as it may violate laws prohibiting payment for registering to vote or voting. Musk, who has already committed $70 million to support Donald Trump’s reelection, is ramping up his efforts to get voters in swing states to support the former president.
Rick Hasen, a political science professor at UCLA Law School, has stated that Musk’s giveaway is clearly illegal, as it requires people to be registered to vote in order to be eligible. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania has also expressed concerns about how Musk is spending money in the election, particularly through this giveaway. Musk’s America PAC is touring Pennsylvania to register voters and support Trump, whom Musk has endorsed.
The PAC’s petition supports the First Amendment, protecting freedom of speech, and the Second Amendment’s right to bear arms. Musk has already awarded a check to a man named John Dreher and plans to continue giving away $1 million a day until the election. Some election law experts, such as Brendan Fischer and Michael Kang, are raising red flags about the legality of the giveaway, as it may be seen as incentivizing people to register to vote, which is prohibited by law.
The urgency of the giveaway so close to Election Day raises concerns about its legality. While coordination between campaigns and super PACs has traditionally been forbidden, a recent opinion by the Federal Election Commission has allowed for certain collaborations, including getting out the vote efforts. Musk’s actions are seen as controversial by some experts and politicians, who question the ethics and legality of his $1 million giveaway plan.
Overall, Elon Musk’s $1 million per-day giveaway to voters for signing his PAC’s petition supporting the Constitution has sparked legal questions and concerns among election experts and politicians. While Musk is ramping up his efforts to support Donald Trump’s reelection, some experts argue that his actions may violate laws prohibiting payment for registering to vote. The legality of the giveaway, which is seen as incentivizing voter registration, is being debated amidst the heightened scrutiny of campaign finance laws and regulations.
