“Justice Department Cautions Elon Musk’s America PAC Over $1 Million Sweepstakes for Registered Voters.”
The Justice Department recently alerted Elon Musk’s America PAC that his $1 million sweepstakes targeting registered voters in swing states could potentially violate federal law, according to sources familiar with the situation, as reported by CNN.
Musk, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, is investing millions to bolster his candidacy and has promoted the $1 million prize through his political action committee, which aims to boost voter registration in key battleground states.
Concerns arose immediately among election law experts and state officials regarding the legality of Musk’s offer to pay prizes to registered voters. Federal law prohibits financial incentives for voter registration. The current sweepstakes language promises $1 million prizes to individuals randomly selected for signing a petition supporting First and Second Amendment rights. However, eligibility to sign the petition requires registration to vote in specific states.
The Justice Department’s public integrity section, which investigates potential election law violations, sent a letter to Musk’s political action committee regarding these concerns.
CNN has reached out for comments from Musk, various email contacts listed on the super PAC’s website, the group’s treasurer, and Musk’s press team on the X platform, but has not received a response. The Justice Department has also declined to comment.
At a Trump campaign event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Musk stated, “We want to try to get over a million, maybe 2 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.”
Following remarks from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, who expressed that the giveaway was “deeply concerning” and warranted legal examination, Musk responded on X, stating it was “concerning that he would say such a thing.”
In response to claims that Musk was “paying to register Republicans,” he clarified that winners “can be from any or no political party and you don’t even have to vote,” but did not address the legal implications of restricting the lottery to registered voters.
On the second day of the sweepstakes, the super PAC adjusted its messaging, framing the prize as compensation for a job. Social media posts indicated that winners would be “selected to earn $1M as a spokesperson for America PAC,” accompanied by pro-Trump testimonial videos featuring the winners.
However, election law experts noted that the official terms of entry on Musk’s super PAC website remained unchanged. Only petition signers, who “must be registered voters of Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin,” are eligible for the $1 million prize.
It remains unclear when Musk received the Justice Department’s letter and whether it influenced the recent changes in messaging surrounding the giveaway.