Elon Musk is offering people $1 million to vote

Tech billionaire Elon Musk gave a $1 cardinal check to an assemblage subordinate astatine a rally successful Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, wherever he’s been Trump-stumping, connected Saturday. And helium said helium volition proceed to springiness that prize to 1 random elector per time until the Presidential predetermination connected November 5th. The determination could precise good interruption US predetermination law.

Only radical who person signed a petition from Musk’s America PAC are eligible for the sweepstakes-style offer. And lone registered voters are eligible to motion the petition. According to its terms, Musk volition springiness $1 cardinal to idiosyncratic successful Pittsburgh today, but volition aboriginal grow to anyone surviving successful plaything states similar Georgia, Nevada, oregon Arizona.

It’s against national instrumentality to impel anyone to ballot oregon get registered to ballot and Musk’s $1 cardinal prizes are “clearly illegal,” writes UCLA governmental subject prof Rick Hasen in his Election Law Blog. He cites 52 USC 10307 (c), which states that anyone who “pays oregon offers to wage oregon accepts outgo either for registration to ballot oregon for voting” tin perchance spot $10,000 successful fines oregon 5 years successful prison. There are besides different legally dubious aspects of the pledge, see bonuses for signers and for getting others to motion it.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said connected Meet the Press this greeting that the connection is “deeply concerning.” He stopped abbreviated of calling it illegal, stating that he’s nary longer the state’s Attorney General, but said the ploy is “something that instrumentality enforcement tin instrumentality a look at.”

Hasen told NBC News that the information the petition is lone unfastened to registered voters whitethorn beryllium what puts it implicit the top. Federal authorities tin either prosecute Musk oregon pass him to halt the scheme, helium said. The US Department of Justice would person to complaint him with violating the law successful national court; a national bureau oregon backstage enactment could besides record a civilian lawsuit.

Either 1 of these would instrumentality time. Musk could beryllium trusting that Trump, who has pardoned allies and is improbable to fto the DOJ punish a large donor, volition triumph and marque the ineligible questions irrelevant. Even if the erstwhile President doesn’t win, Musk already has a track record of flouting regularisation with fewer consequences successful the US. But conversely, it’s an unfastened question however overmuch Musk’s sweepstakes volition assistance Trump — and whether it tin marque up for rumored weaknesses successful the candidate’s traditional run crushed game.