Voters in Pennsylvania are now getting a unique incentive to vote in the upcoming elections – a lot of cash. As strange as this sounds, this is exactly what’s happening, and the money is coming from the pockets of Elon Musk. At a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the billionaire announced that he will be giving $1 million every day to a randomly selected voter who signs a petition from his political action committee (PAC), America PAC.
“I have a surprise for you,” Musk said at the rally, adding that the prize money will be made available “every day from now until the election.” The presidential election is on November 5. “I think think is kind of fun, and you know, it seems like a good use of money basically,” Musk added. The first cheque has already been given on Saturday, and another check was handed out on Sunday.
This giveaway is framed as a campaign to promote free speech and the right to bear arms, and the winner will be chosen at random. It should be noted that this giveaway is only open to registered voters (those who have signed a pro-US Constitution petition by the America PAC, and interested users need to go to the America PAC website to sign it). For now, it is restricted to Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina. All of these are key states for the upcoming elections – Musk even called Pennsylvania the “linchpin” of the election.
And if this is not enough, America PAC is also offering several other smaller monetary rewards. These include bonuses of $100 bonuses for those who are signing the petition, as well as further payments if they refer the petition to others. for referrals. Critics argue that these incentives create a lottery-like system where voter registration becomes a gateway to potential financial gain.
Campaign finance lawyer Brendan Fischer warned that this initiative “approaches a legal boundary.” It is likely that this scheme could catch the eye of the federal authorities, who can can either prosecute Musk, file a civil lawsuit, or issue a warning to put an end to this giveaway. This initiative also undermines the elections themselves, especially when a prominent billionaire like Musk can simply leverage his worth to sway individuals to vote for certain parties or individuals. In this case, the individual is Donald Trump, the ex-US President who has now been endorsed by Musk.
While this giveaway is extremely lucrative for the winners, the bigger picture is less amusing. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro – during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press – described this development as “deeply concerning,” while critics are arguing that this development could violate US election law itself. The law prohibits giving out financial incentives for voting or voter registration, and that is exactly what Musk is doing by creating a link between the reward and the registration of new voters.
“I think there are real questions with how he is spending money in this race, how the dark money is flowing, not just into Pennsylvania, but apparently now into the pockets of Pennsylvanians. That is deeply concerning,” Shapiro said.
According to 52 U.S.C. 10307(c), it is illegal to offer or accept payment for voting or registering to vote. Rick Hasen, a professor at UCLA and an expert in election law, stated that the structure of Musk’s lottery “clearly” breaches this law. For reference, the law states that indivuduals who “pay or offer to pay or accept payment either for registration to vote or for voting” can be slammed with a hefty fine of $10,000 or even five years in prison.
