Pennsylvania’s Dem Governor Angry About Elon Musk’s Election Efforts, Calls for Law Enforcement Action
A recent initiative by Elon Musk has drawn scrutiny from top Democrats, particularly Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Musk announced a controversial program offering a $1 million giveaway to registered voters in key swing states who sign a petition on his America PAC website. The petition expresses support for free speech and the right to bear arms, without requiring participants to actually vote.
Governor Shapiro expressed concerns that the operation may be illegal, suggesting it creates ethical questions regarding the substantial financial influence in elections. He remarked on Musk’s right to express his views, particularly his support for Donald Trump, but noted that the proposed financial incentives raise serious concerns.
Election law experts have also criticized Musk’s plan, with Rick Hasen labeling the payments as “clearly illegal,” arguing that the initiative essentially creates a lottery for voter registration, which is prohibited under federal law. The ongoing election season has seen significant fundraising across the board, with Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly raising over $1 billion for her campaign.
A top Democrat is frowning over Elon Musk’s million-dollar daily giveaway.
Musk announced that every registered voter in several states – all of which are key swing states in the presidential election – who signs a petition on his America PAC website is eligible for a $1 milion giveaway, according to Fox News.
The petition says those signing it are “in favor of free speech and the right to bear arms.” The petition does not require that a signer vote, only that he or she be a registered voter to be eligible for the cash.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania said the whole operation smells illegal, according to NBC.
Shapiro called the proposal “deeply concerning” and said it was “something that law enforcement could take a look at.”
“Musk obviously has a right to be able to express his views. He’s made it very, very clear that he supports Donald Trump. I don’t. Obviously we have a difference of opinion,” Shapiro said.
“I don’t deny him that, right, but when you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions,” he added.
“Concerning that he would say such a thing,” Musk responded with post on X.
Concerning that he would say such a thing https://t.co/BBbH6gjUPP
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 20, 2024
Although the scale of Musk’s effort is higher, money is undeniably flying about in this election season.
The Civic Center, for example, is giving away $150 gift cards to schools that participate in High School Voter Registration Week.
As for money flowing into politics, Vice President Kamala Harris has raised more than $1 billion for her campaign, according to CNN.
As of October 1, Harris had $346 million to spend against $285 available to former President Donald Trump.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 20, 2024
However, mixing the Musk connection with the Trump connection and the amounts involved led Rick Hasen, director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project and an NBC election law analyst, to attack Musk’s plan.
Hasen called the payments “clearly illegal,” according to NBC, saying the plan breaks a federal law that bans paying people to register or vote.
“Essentially what you’re doing is you are creating a lottery. You’re creating a lottery where the only people eligible to participate in the lottery are people who register to vote, or are registered to vote, and that’s illegal,” Hasen claimed.
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