--- title: "Elon Musk May Be in Serious Trouble for Paying Voters in Swing States" description: "Surprise! Elon Musk handing out million dollar checks to swing state voters in Pennsylvania who sign his petition could be illegal." date: "2024-10-21" modified: "2024-10-21" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-paying-voters-swing-states" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "2024 election" - "billionaires" - "elections" - "elon musk" --- # Elon Musk May Be in Serious Trouble for Paying Voters in Swing States ![Surprise! Elon Musk handing out million dollar checks to swing state voters in Pennsylvania who sign his petition could be illegal.]() *\Image: Michael Swensen via Getty\* Billionaire Elon Musk, who has been campaigning in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania [on behalf of]() Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, is now handing out millions of dollars to random Pennsylvania voters. Unsurprisingly, the legality of million-dollar handouts from partisan billionaires is questionable at best — and Musk just might end up ruing the day he started the payouts. Musk [announced during a Saturday town hall]() that every day until Election Day, he would be handing a one million dollar check to a random Pennsylvanian who signs a petition — put forward by Musk's recently unveiled America PAC — in support of "free speech and the right to bear arms." (He later [reiterated the offer on X-formerly-Twitter](), the social media website he owns.) As promised, the [first]() of the lottery-sized giant checks was handed out on Saturday evening to an attendee of a rally, [according to]()*[ NBC]().* But as it turns out, there's a reason you never hear about wealthy activists paying voters directly for support: legal experts have been quick to call the lawfulness of the [billionaire Trump acolyte's]() seven-figure handouts into question, with objections centering on one important stipulation of Musk's offer: that in order to receive a check, you have to be registered to vote in the state of Pennsylvania. This means that Musk's offer is incentivizing folks who *aren't* registered to make sure they *get* registered. And that, argues University of California, Los Angeles Law School political science professor Rick Hasen, crosses a legal red line. "If all \[Musk\] was doing was paying people to sign the petition, that might be a waste of money. But there's nothing illegal about it," Hasen, who helms UCLA's Safeguarding Democracy Project, [told *The Associated Press*](). "The problem is that the only people eligible to participate in this giveaway are the people who are registered to vote. And that makes it illegal." More specifically, Hasen is [arguing]() that Musk's offer breaches 52 U.S.C. 10307(c), a federal law stipulating that anyone who "pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting" could face fines or even up to five years in jail time. Though a fine of $10,000 might be measly for the richest man on Earth, imprisonment is nothing to balk at. And any Pennsylvanians who accept the checks under no-strings-attached expectations may be in for a rude surprise themselves. To be clear, Musk's offer doesn't rest on the condition that prospective voters register for a certain party. But as Hasen elsewhere [told *NBC*](), the billionaire doesn't "have to say you have to vote for a particular candidate in order to be breaking this law." "It can be to either incentivize people to register or vote," Hasen added, "or it can be to reward them." Pennsylvania's Democratic governor and former top law enforcement official Josh Shapiro, who has been campaigning for Trump's Democratic opponent Kamala Harris, said in an appearance on *NBC's* "Meet the Press" that the SpaceX and Tesla CEO's offer is "deeply concerning" and "something that law enforcement could take a look at." That said, as it stands, the federal government has yet to announce an inquiry into Musk's DIY voting lottery. On [X this morning](), Musk bragged that "new Republican voter registration last week in Pennsylvania absolutely crushed Democrat voter registration!" (He didn't provide sourcing for the claim.) "Let's GOOOO!!!!!" the billionaire continued, completing the post with a handful of flame emojis. He didn't link to the petition. **More on Elon and 2024:** [*Elon Musk Is Spreading Dangerous Hurricane Helene Conspiracy Theories*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()