Elon Musk Sued Over $1 Million Voter Giveaway

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2024 - Legal officials in Philadelphia filed a civil suit Monday against Elon Musk after the tech leader began awarding financial prizes to voters in swing states.

Philadelphia’s District Attorney Larry Krasner filed suit against Musk arguing that his $1 million daily giveaway to registered voters in battleground states was an illegal and unregulated lottery.

Krasner, however, did not answer the question of whether Musk’s giveaway violated laws against buying votes.

The giveaway, sponsored by Musk and his America Political Action Committee, provides random battleground state voters $1 million each, provided each one signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments.

Musk’s giveaway recently found itself under the scrutiny of the U.S. Justice Department. The DOJ warned Musk that the giveaway could violate federal voting laws that nobody can be paid to register to vote.

In a Friday town hall event, Musk defended the giveaway. 

“To be clear, this is not a petition to vote for or register for anyone. It’s really a petition in support of the Constitution of the United States, and in particular, freedom of speech and the right to bear arms,” said Musk.

Six people have won Musk’s giveaway as of Oct. 25.