Tech billionaire Elon Musk gave a $1 cardinal check to an assemblage personnel astatine a rally successful Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, wherever he’s been Trump-stumping, connected Saturday. And he said he will proceed to springiness that prize to 1 random elector per time until the Presidential predetermination connected November 5th. The move could very good break US predetermination law.
Only group who person signed a petition from Musk’s America PAC are eligible for the sweepstakes-style offer. And only registered voters are eligible to motion the petition. According to its terms, Musk will springiness $1 cardinal to personification successful Pittsburgh today, but will later grow to anyone surviving successful plaything states for illustration Georgia, Nevada, aliases Arizona.
It’s against national rule to impel anyone to ballot aliases get registered to ballot and Musk’s $1 cardinal prizes are “clearly illegal,” writes UCLA governmental subject professor Rick Hasen in his Election Law Blog. He cites 52 USC 10307 (c), which states that anyone who “pays aliases offers to salary aliases accepts costs either for registration to ballot aliases for voting” tin perchance spot $10,000 successful fines aliases 5 years successful prison. There are besides different legally dubious aspects of the pledge, see bonuses for signers and for getting others to motion it.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said connected Meet the Press this greeting that the connection is “deeply concerning.” He stopped short of calling it illegal, stating that he’s nary longer the state’s Attorney General, but said the ploy is “something that rule enforcement tin return a look at.”
Hasen told NBC News that the truth the petition is only unfastened to registered voters whitethorn beryllium what puts it complete the top. Federal authorities tin either prosecute Musk aliases pass him to extremity the scheme, he said. The US Department of Justice would person to complaint him pinch violating the law successful national court; a national agency aliases backstage statement could besides record a civilian lawsuit.
Either 1 of these would return time. Musk could beryllium trusting that Trump, who has pardoned allies and is improbable to fto the DOJ punish a awesome donor, will triumph and make the ineligible questions irrelevant. Even if the erstwhile President doesn’t win, Musk already has a track record of flouting regularisation pinch fewer consequences successful the US. But conversely, it’s an unfastened mobility really overmuch Musk’s sweepstakes will thief Trump — and whether it tin dress up for rumored weaknesses successful the candidate’s traditional run crushed game.
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