Elon Musk is offering voters in key swing states $1 million in daily cash prizes until the presidential election takes place on November 5th.
The Tesla boss is backing America PAC, a political group he set up to support Donald Trump’s bid for the White House, which he was rumoured to be funding to the tune of $45 million a month.
He posted on X: “Every day, from now through Nov 5, @America PAC will be giving away $1M to someone in swing states who signed our petition to support free speech & the right to bear arms!
“We want to make sure that everyone in swing states hears about this and I suspect this will ensure they do.”
The first $1 million (£767,000) has already apparently been awarded to a man named John Dreher during a campaign event in Pennsylvania on Saturday.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who supports Kamala Harris, called Musk’s strategy “deeply concerning.”
Shapiro told NBC News’ Meet the Press that law enforcement should potentially look at the payments.
The contest is open to voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina, all key battleground states that will ultimately decide the White House election.
Election law expert Rick Hasen wrote on his personal Election Law Blog, external that he believed Mr Musk’s offer was “clearly illegal”.
Federal law states that anyone who “pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting” faces a potential $10,000 fine or a five-year prison sentence.
Though Mr Musk is technically asking voters to sign a form, Mr Hasen questioned the intent behind the strategy.
“Who can sign the petitions? Only registered voters in swing states, which is what makes it illegal,” said Mr Hasen, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) law school.
Those who sign the petition – which pledges to support free speech and gun rights – must submit their contact details, potentially allowing AmericaPAC to contact them about their vote.
Both Mr Musk and AmericaPAC have been approached for comment.
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