Many respected election law experts have strongly condemned the actions of this billionaire.

During a rally for former President Donald Trump last Saturday, tech billionaire Elon Musk announced a plan to give $1 million each day to registered voters in battleground states. However, this announcement was immediately criticized by election law experts, who argued that this lottery could violate laws against paying registered voters.

Musk stated at the event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: “We want to encourage over a million, even two million voters in battleground states to sign the petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. We will randomly award $1 million to those who sign the petition each day, from now until the election.”

The owner of X and CEO of Tesla referred to a petition put forward by his political action committee, aimed at affirming support for free speech and the right to bear arms. The program’s website announced that “the program is only for registered voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.”

Musk, the world’s richest man, has donated over $75 million to Trump’s campaign and hopes that this lottery will boost voter registration in support of him. Recently, he has been involved in campaigning in Pennsylvania, hosting events supporting Trump, promoting his petition, and spreading conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.

In a recent interview with NBC, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro—a Democrat and former state attorney general—stated that Musk’s monetary offer is “very concerning” and could be “something that law enforcement should look into.” In response, Musk posted on X that “it’s very concerning that he would say that.”

Federal law states that anyone who “pays, offers to pay, or accepts payment for registering to vote or for voting” commits a crime and could face up to five years in prison. After facing legal pushback over the weekend, Musk’s team adjusted some information related to the lottery.

Derek Muller, an election law expert at Notre Dame Law School, commented: “When you start limiting the prizes to registered voters or those who have voted, that’s when concerns about bribery arise.” He argued that restricting the gifts to registered voters appears to be offering cash to encourage voter registration. Muller also noted that most states consider paying people to vote a criminal act.

Many other respected election law experts have also condemned the billionaire’s actions.

David Becker, a former Justice Department official in charge of voting rights cases and founder of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research, emphasized that the fact that the prize is only for registered voters “in one of seven states that could affect the outcome of the presidential election” clearly indicates Musk’s intent to influence the race, which could raise legal issues.

Rick Hasen, an election law expert at UCLA Law School and a critic of Trump, stated in a blog post that Musk’s lottery program “clearly constitutes illegal vote buying.”