For most people, it’s common sense that offering a financial incentive to prospective voters is a legal no-no, but Elon Musk has continued to prove he lacks any kind of common sense whatsoever, resulting in him receiving a warning letter from the Department of Justice.
Voters in seven swing states have been encouraged to sign a petition that advocates for “free speech and the right to bear arms.” The petition comes from Musk’s campaign group, America PAC and it offers financial incentives for people who sign it or refer other voters to sign. On top of that, Musk has promised $1 million a day to be given out to a random individual who put their name down on the petition up until election day on November 5th.
Now it’s no secret that Elon Musk and Donald Trump are pretty chummy, in fact, it’s become a full-on cringe-inducing bromance. Could the tech billionaire’s lottery potentially affect the outcome of the election? The petition asks people to pledge their support for First and Second Amendment rights, but there’s potential it could sway voters who might be unsure. Some have outright accused him of trying to buy the election.
Is Musk’s petition legal?
There have already been a ton of questions surrounding the legality of this deal as the offer is only open to people who have registered to vote. That’s an important detail, as the Space X and Tesla founder is essentially offering financial incentives to register and that’s a big no-no in the eyes of the law. Federal law prevents offering money in exchange for people registering to vote so it’s pretty easy to argue that this petition and its prize violate the law.
As a result, the Department of Justice has sent Musk a “warning letter.” Ah yes, a strongly worded letter should definitely do the trick, I’m sure he’ll put a stop to his petition right away. To be fair, it’s sort of unclear whether he actually is breaking the law at this point — he’s toeing the line and he’s a hair’s breadth away from stepping over.
You see, he’s not openly paying people to register, only offering money to those who are registered. Is there really a difference? Depends on who you ask. The director of the Brennan Center for Justice, Daniel Weiner, claims that this could potentially violate federal law.
“There is certainly an argument that this falls within the scope of a federal prohibition on paying a person to vote or register to vote […] This is part of a pattern of him skating up to the edge of election laws that we’ve seen in the past several weeks.”
Meanwhile, Musk has refuted the accusations that this is “bribery,” accusing Democrats of trying to spin a false narrative.
We’ll have to wait and see whether this letter does anything to stop Musk’s plans. One user asked, “U think he’s scared?? Lol.” I doubt it. That man’s ego rivals Trump’s.
Even if he is in violation of the law, it’s hard to imagine Elon facing any real consequence for this, as another commenter sarcastically, and aptly, quipped, “BREAKING NEWS!!!! THE RICH ARE NOT HELD TO THE SAME LAWS AS TAXPAYERS!!!!”
