Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has stepped up his political involvement by offering $1 million a day to registered voters who sign a petition supporting free speech and the right to bear arms.
On Saturday, Musk presented an oversized $1 million cheque to John Dreher, a Pennsylvania resident, during an America PAC event in Harrisburg.
“By the way, John had no idea. So anyway, you’re welcome,” Musk said as he handed Dreher the check. “We’re going to be awarding a million dollars randomly to people who have signed the petition every day from now until the election.”
Earlier this year, Musk founded America PAC, a political action committee supporting former President Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.
The group is focused on mobilising and registering voters in key battleground states, and has highlighted the importance of Pennsylvania in the upcoming election.
“How Pennsylvania goes, I think, is how the election goes,” Musk told attendees at a recent event in Dauphin County.
The giveaway requires participants to be registered voters who sign an online petition in support of the First and Second Amendments to the US Constitution.
Initially offering $47 per referral, Musk upped the incentive to $100 late last week to encourage participation ahead of voter registration deadlines.
According to the America PAC website, Monday’s winner will be chosen from across Pennsylvania.
From Tuesday, the daily giveaways will be extended to voters in Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.
“So the only thing we ask for the million dollars is that you be a spokesperson for the petition, and that’s it, really, that’s it,” Musk explained.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro raised concerns about the legality of Musk’s financial incentives.
“When you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions,” Shapiro said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He suggested that law enforcement might need to review the giveaway’s compliance with election laws.
Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California–Los Angeles, labeled the initiative “clearly illegal” on his website, arguing that offering money to registered voters in swing states violates federal election regulations.
Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) acknowledged Musk’s influence, stating that his active participation is a concern for Democrats.
“Not even just that he has endorsed [Trump], but the fact that now he’s becoming an active participant and showing up and doing rallies and things like that,” Fetterman told the New York Post.
Musk’s America PAC has reportedly spent over $119 million on the 2024 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets, a nonprofit organization tracking political finance.