By The Opinion
23 Oct 2024, 19:56 PM EDT
Elon Musk has spared no effort to show his support for former President Donald Trump and is spending millions of dollars to support his candidacyHe even announced the million-dollar prize awarded by his political action committee (America PAC), whose goal is to increase voter registration in hotly contested states, including Pennsylvania.
However, Musk’s initial promise to pay premiums to registered voters immediately raised concerns among election law experts and some state officials who questioned whether they contravened the law.
Federal law prohibits paying people to register to vote. The current petition text promises $1 million prizes to randomly chosen people for signing a petition in support of First and Second Amendment freedoms. But to sign the petition, you must be registered to vote in certain states.
On this matter, the Justice Department warned Elon Musk’s America PAC in recent days that its $1 million giveaway to registrants in key states could violate federal law.
According to official information, federal law prohibits paying people to register to vote. The current petition text promises $1 million prizes to randomly chosen people for signing a petition in support of First and Second Amendment freedoms. But to sign the petition, you must be registered to vote in certain states.
A letter from the Justice Department’s public integrity section, which investigates possible election-related violations of the law, was sent to Musk’s political action committee, according to people briefed on the matter.
After Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Sunday that the gift was “deeply troubling.” and deserved legal scrutiny, Musk posted on his X platform that it was “concerning that he would say such a thing.”
Musk has defended himself against criticism that he is paying to register Republicans. The winners, as he said in X on October 20, “can be from any political party or none and they don’t even have to vote.”
The America Pac reformulated the petition and highlighted that the winners were doing so as spokespersons for said committee.
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