Elon Musk Is Offering A $1 Million A Day To Sign His PAC Petition. Is That Legal?

CBS Bay Area

October 21, 2024

Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX who's gone all-in on Republican Donald Trump's candidacy for the White House, is pledging to give away $1 million a day to voters for signing his political action committee's petition backing the Constitution. The offer is sparking questions among election experts about the plan's legality.

Some experts say it is a violation of the law to link a cash handout to signing a petition that also requires a person to be registered to vote. A message seeking comment was left with the PAC on Sunday, as was a request for comment from the Justice Department.

Musk, the wealthiest person in the world with a fortune of $242 billion, has already committed at least $70 million to reelect the former president and is now ramping up his efforts to get voters in swing states to support Trump. The X owner had previously offered supporters $47 for each registered voter in seven battleground states that they could get to sign his petition, a nod to the fact that the winner of the November 5 election will be the nation's 47th president.

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