Elon Musk offers voters $1 million a day to sign PAC petition backing the Constitution. Is that legal?
Elon Musk has committed to donating $1 million daily to voters who support his political action committee by signing the petition in favor of the Constitution.
Elon Musk, the wealthy creator of Tesla and Space X, as well as the proprietor of X, has openly endorsed Republican Donald Trump’s bid for the presidency. With a substantial donation of no less than $70 million to support the former president, Musk now intends to donate $1 million daily to citizens who sign his political action committee’s petition in support of the Constitution.
Some election professionals are expressing concerns and raising red flags about the giveaway, contending that it constitutes a breach of legality to connect a monetary gift to the act of signing a petition, especially when it mandates voter registration.
On Sunday, Josh Shapiro, the former attorney general of Pennsylvania and a Democratic governor, voiced apprehension regarding the proposal.
During his appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he voiced his reservations about the allocation of funds in this campaign, especially regarding the mysterious flow of dark money not only within Pennsylvania but seemingly also into the hands of its residents. Such developments are profoundly worrying.
Delving deeper into the current situation:
Elon Musk announced his commitment to donate $1 million daily leading up to the November 5 election to individuals endorsing his PAC’s petition advocating for the First Amendment safeguarding freedom of speech and the Second Amendment preserving the right to “keep and bear arms.” One such donation was presented to John Dreher at an event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Despite attempts to reach Dreher for comment on Sunday, no response was received. Musk continued his philanthropic gesture by granting another check the following day.
Musk’s America PAC embarks on a tour across Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground for the upcoming elections. Musk is focused on mobilizing voters to support Trump, whom he has publicly backed. The PAC is actively engaging in persuading voters in other pivotal states as well. This initiative is part of the organization’s ongoing efforts, with Musk utilizing X, the social media platform he acquired and rebranded from Twitter, to offer incentives of $47 initially, and later $100, to individuals referring others for voter registration and petition signing.
During his campaign in Pennsylvania on Sunday, Trump was questioned about Musk’s giveaway, to which he responded, “I haven’t been keeping up with that.” Trump mentioned that he frequently converses with Elon, whom he considers a friend, and praised him for being a great asset to the nation.
Brendan Fischer, a legal expert in campaign finance, has highlighted concerns regarding the recent charity event. He pointed out that the new format of Musk’s giveaway is treading close to a legal limit by mandating registration for individuals to qualify for the $1 million prize.
Fischer pointed out in an email that while there would be little question about legality if all signatories of the Pennsylvania petition were qualified, linking the disbursements to registration could potentially breach regulations.
