Published on: October 24, 2024, 04:01h.
Last updated on: October 24, 2024, 04:01h.
Elon Musk seems to have halted his controversial lottery plan to incentivize swing-state voters after receiving a stern letter from the US Department of Justice.
The tech tycoon, who has thrown his support behind the Trump campaign, had promised to give away $1 million daily to a registered voter in crucial battleground states until November 5. Each winner would be randomly selected from a list of petition signatories pledging to support free speech and gun rights.
The founder of Telsa and Space X debuted his electoral giveaway in Pennsylvania last Saturday and has already announced four winners. Musk, the wealthiest person globally, intended to expand the initiative to Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina this week.
Radio Silence
However, no winner was revealed on Wednesday, the same day CNN reported that the Justice Department had sent a letter to Musk’s super PAC, America PAC, cautioning that the lottery could be illegal.
It remains unclear if the letter was the reason why America PAC remained unusually quiet about the lottery on Wednesday.
Prior to this, winners were enthusiastically announced, but by Thursday, all mention of the lottery had been erased from the America PAC website. Musk also did not mention it on X, the social media platform he owns.
According to federal law, it is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison to “pay or offer to pay or accept payment either for registration to vote or for voting.”
In Pennsylvania, signatories to Musk’s petition were receiving $100 for simply providing their details, plus an additional $100 for each person they referred who signed up.
The Justice Department’s Election Crimes Manual states that vote-buying is considered a bribery offense under the US Constitution. It specifically lists “lottery chances” as a prohibited inducement.
‘Deeply Concerning’
Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, described the lottery plan as “deeply concerning” on Sunday. Musk responded on X that he found it “concerning that he would say such a thing.”
America PAC has chosen not to comment on recent developments when approached by the media, but a spokesman earlier in the week asserted that the lottery was legal.
The PAC is confident in the legality of this initiative and the predictable media meltdown is only helping America PAC’s efforts to support President Trump [sic],” the spokesman said.
Musk has committed to investing $75 million to bolster Trump’s campaign. Earlier this month, he appeared with the former president at a rally in Butler, Penn., which was the location of an assassination attempt on Trump in July.