Elon Musk warned against $1-M voter sweepstakes

ISTANBUL – The US Justice Department has warned Elon Musk's political action committee or America PAC, that its USD1 million sweepstakes for registered voters in key swing states may violate federal law, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.

The giveaway, designed to boost voter registration in support of First and Second Amendment rights, raised concerns due to federal laws prohibiting payment for voter registration, according to CNN.

Musk, who supports former US President Donald Trump's candidacy, announced last Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania that the PAC would randomly award USD1 million daily to petition signers until the election.

"We want to try to get over a million, maybe 2 million voters in battleground states to sign the petition," Musk said at the event.

The petition requires signers to be registered voters in states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.

However, election law experts flagged the sweepstakes as problematic since only registered voters in seven states are eligible, potentially conflicting with federal rules.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and former state attorney general, expressed concerns on Sunday about the giveaway, prompting Musk to respond on his X platform, calling Shapiro's comments "concerning."

In response to the legal scrutiny, the PAC has reframed the sweepstakes, presenting the prize as a payment for a job as a spokesperson.

Despite the messaging change, critics noted that the fine print on the PAC's website still requires winners to be registered voters.

The Justice Department has not commented on the issue yet. (PNA)