Elon Musk’s America PAC is dealing with scrutiny from the Justice Department over a $1 million sweepstakes aimed toward growing voter registrations in swing states, per CNN.
Musk “absolutely endorsing” former US President Donald Trump, has pledged thousands and thousands to assist Trump’s 2024 marketing campaign, and his political motion committee (PAC) is selling the sweepstakes with the aim of boosting voter turnout in essential battleground states.
The controversy centres on federal legislation, which prohibits “paying people to register to vote”. Musk’s America PAC initially promised $1 million prizes to people chosen at random for signing a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments.
However, to be eligible to signal the petition, individuals needed to be registered voters in particular swing states.
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PAC’s actions may violate federal election legislation
The Justice Department’s public integrity part, which handles potential election legislation violations, reportedly despatched a letter to Musk’s PAC warning of the authorized considerations. Federal legislation clearly forbids monetary incentives tied to voter registration.
On the second day of the sweepstakes, America PAC revised it because the giveaway as a job alternative, claiming the winners can be “chosen to earn $1M as a spokesperson for America PAC.”
Musk has publicly defended this throughout a Trump marketing campaign occasion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “We wish to attempt to recover from 1,000,000, possibly 2 million voters within the battleground states to signal the petition in assist of the First and Second Amendment,” Musk mentioned through the rally.
“We are going to be awarding $1 million randomly to individuals who have signed the petition, day by day, from now till the election.”
Responding to a declare that the sweepstakes was an try to “pay to register Republicans,” Musk clarified that winners “will be from any or no political get together and also you don’t even should vote.”
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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and former state legal professional common voiced that the giveaway was “deeply regarding” and warranted authorized investigation. Musk responded to Shapiro’s remarks on his social media platform, X (previously Twitter), by saying it was “regarding that he would say such a factor.”