Who could've guessed that offering American voters a tantalizing sum of $1 million just to hit the polls could be classed as illegal? Elon Musk might be the richest man in the world, but that doesn't mean you can go around throwing sacks of money at people in an effort to get them vote in the upcoming American Election.
November 5 is the big day when the nation goes to the polls, and while this election has been full of more drama than your average race to the White House, it's nearly over.
It's Donald Trump for the Republican Party versus Kamala Harris of the Democrats, and in case you haven't been reading the news, Mr. Musk has clearly put his money on one horse. After all, Musk thinks he could end up in jail if the Democrats win.
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It was all going well for Musk, but now, the Justice Department has reportedly sent a letter to the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, warning that his super PAC (Political Action Committee) daily giveaway of $1 million violates federal law.
The New York Times claims the DoJ's Public Integrity Section that deals with election-related prosecutions has written to Musk.
The Public Integrity Section continues to send letters to businesses and organizations that are tied to voting promotions, and although letters don't typically outline the DoJ's next steps, they're supposed to scare offenders into ceasing their operations.
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Announcing his millionaire sweepstake at a Trump rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Musk said: "We want to try to get over a million, maybe two million voters in the battleground states to sign the petition in support of the First and Second Amendment
"We are going to be awarding $1 million randomly to people who have signed the petition, every day, from now until the election."
Questions were immediately raised about the potential legal ramifications of offering money to sway voters, with Democrats and legal experts alike sharing their concerns. Among them was Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (a Democrat), with the former state attorney general saying the sweepstake was 'deeply concerning.' Musk responded to this on X and defiantly said: "Concerning that he would say such a thing."
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So far, three Pennsylvania voters and one in North Carolina have been given the $1 million checks, while Musk continues to offer the prizes through to Election Day.
Back in 2010, the DoJ warned former WWE owner Vince McMahon for offering merchandise to voters, reminding him it would be a 'federal offense' to 'pay an individual a thing of value for voting.'
Musk's Super PAC has seemingly reframed the wording surrounding the giveaway, although the fine print still reiterates that winners "must be registered voters of Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin."
As swing states like Pennsylvania look crucial to deciding who the next President of the United States could be, and the DoJ closes in on Musk, it remains to be seen whether his deep pockets can really sway an election.