Billionaire founder of Space X, Elon Musk, recently announced that there will be a daily $1 million giveaway to registered Pennsylvania voters who meet certain criteria. The initiative, launched through Musk’s AmericaPAC, promises to award the sum to randomly selected individuals who sign a petition supporting constitutional rights until the November presidential election.
The program began Saturday at a Harrisburg rally, where Musk presented the first million-dollar check to an attendee. The initiative includes an additional $47 referral bonus for participants who convince other registered voters to sign the petition, which focuses on free speech and gun rights.
However, this strategy which aims to garner support for Elon Musk’s preferred Presidential candidate, Donald Trump, has drawn immediate legal concerns from state officials and election law experts. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro expressed serious reservations about the program during his appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press.
“When you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions that folks may want to take a look at,” Shapiro said, suggesting that law enforcement should scrutinize the legality of that initiative.
Additionally, election law expert Rick Hasen, professor at UCLA Law School, stated that the practice was “clearly illegal” under federal law. Hasen also referenced statute 52 U.S.C. 10307(c), which prohibits payments for voter registration or voting, carrying penalties of up to $10,000 in fines and five years imprisonment. Furthermore, the irregularities centers on the program’s exclusive availability to registered voters.
“Essentially what you’re doing is creating a lottery where the only people eligible to participate are people who register to vote, or are registered to vote, and that’s illegal,” Hasen explained.
AmericaPAC, launched by Elon Musk in July with a $75 million investment, requires petition signers to provide contact information and promotes values including “Secure Borders, Safe Cities, Sensible spending, Fair Justice System, Free Speech, Right to Self-Protection.”
Musk stated his goal is to gather “over a million, maybe two million, voters in the battleground states to sign the petition.” While Musk maintains his right to express political views and support for Donald Trump’s campaign, the financial incentives tied to voter registration have raised significant legal questions about campaign finance law compliance.