The founder of Tesla and SpaceX, who has said the fate of civilization depends on Trump’s return to the White House, promised Saturday in the key state of Pennsylvania that his lottery will benefit people who sign his PAC’s petition in support of the First and Second Amendments, which protect freedom of speech and the right “to keep and bear arms,” respectively.
The money will be given away randomly until the November 5 election. It is required to be registered in the pivotal states: Arizona, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada or Wisconsin.
The announcement provoked a shower of criticism towards the technological guru, who could be engaging in an illegal act. According to media such as CNN and 24sight News, the Department of Justice sent a warning letter to America PAC in the last few hours alleging that the lottery may violate federal law, which prohibits paying people to register to vote.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk (right) joins former US President and Republican candidate Donald Trump during a campaign rally. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP).
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According to that law, anyone who “makes or offers to make an expense to any person either to vote or withhold their vote, or to vote for or against any candidate” may face fines or prison sentences, Brett explained. Kappel, a campaign finance lawyer at the Harmon Curran firm, in his column published Sunday in The Washington Post.
Electoral manipulation?
Musk’s lottery has raised widespread doubts about its legality. Some electoral experts consider that linking the delivery of money to the signing of a petition that also requires a citizen to be registered to vote violates the law. And, according to The New York Times, some campaign finance lawyers and Democratic politicians said they believed Musk, at the very least, went too far by inducing people to register for the sweepstakes.
Political scientist María Puerta Riera, professor of American Government at Valencia College in Orlando, points out that, strictly speaking, Musk’s strategy is not illegal in itself because those who participate in the draw are already registered to vote, so it is not illegal. They are paid to register.
“However, the Department of Justice is going to investigate this because these actions could lead to something illegal. That is why they are going to investigate the scope of this contest because those who participate must commit to signing a petition in support of the first and second amendment. And that’s where the problem is. It is not very clear what this is about, but the presumption from a legal point of view is that this could induce voting and one might think that this is a way, euphemistically speaking, of buying votes,” he explains to El Comercio.
Musk has defended himself on his X account, highlighting that the winners of his million-dollar lottery “can be from any political party or none and they don’t even have to vote.” Additionally, America PAC rephrased the petition and now refers to the winners as spokespersons for that committee.
In early October, millionaire technology entrepreneur Elon Musk appeared for the first time at a political event, jumping on stage as he joined Donald Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Photo: AFP)
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Those who support this initiative of the tycoon use the argument of individual freedom through which citizens can participate in raffles and sign the petitions they wish. “They claim that since they are people who are already registered, there is no danger because they are attending Republican Party rallies and they are supposed to vote for Trump anyway. That is, they claim that Musk is not winning over someone to vote for another candidate,” says Puerta.
Regarding the impact on campaign speeches, the initiative could have very different impacts. While Republicans could claim that a lottery like this proves that there is active support for Trump, Democrats – says Puerta – could try to exploit the idea that resorting to offering money demonstrates, rather, a state of desperation to add backups.
Some Democratic Party politicians are already using this rhetoric. One of them is Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, who stated that “when this kind of money starts flowing into politics, it raises very serious questions.”
Musk’s frantic support
The millionaire lottery is just the latest of the constant efforts that Musk leads in Donald Trump’s campaign, where he has assumed an increasingly visible role.
The magnate has not only donated almost $75 million, but has redoubled his public support for the former Republican president in the final stretch of the race. His participation in Trump’s rally in Butler and the dozens of messages he has dedicated in his favor – and against the Democrats – in X are proof of this.
Tim Walz, Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, said this week that Musk is Trump’s real “running mate.”
“Musk, who just made several town hall appearances in Pennsylvania ahead of the state’s voter registration deadline on Monday, is now plotting his next moves, according to a dozen Republicans with knowledge of his operations,” states “The New York Times.
He has also formed a voter mobilization team that could be key for Trump at this point in the race.
