Tech billionaire Elon Musk is giving away $1 million (£766,000) daily to a registered voter in key swing states until the U.S. presidential election on November 5.
Elon Musk said the winner will be randomly selected from those who sign a pro-U.S. Constitution petition created by Musk’s campaign group, AmericaPAC. This group was established to support Donald Trump’s bid to return to the White House as the Republican nominee.
The first check, in a lottery-style giveaway, was handed to a surprised attendee at a town hall event in Pennsylvania on Saturday night, with a second check following on Sunday.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who supports Kamala Harris, criticized Musk’s approach, calling it “deeply concerning.”
In an interview on NBC News’ Meet the Press, Shapiro suggested that law enforcement should investigate these payments.
The contest is open to voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina—all crucial battleground states that will play a decisive role in the election.
Rick Hasen, an expert in election law, expressed concerns on his personal Election Law Blog, stating that Musk’s offer appeared to be “clearly illegal.”
According to federal law, offering or accepting payments for voter registration or voting can result in a $10,000 fine or up to five years in prison.
While Musk’s plan technically involves signing a petition, Hasen questioned the underlying intent.
“Who can sign the petitions? Only registered voters in swing states, which is what makes it illegal,” said Hasen, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) law school.
Those who sign the petition—pledging support for free speech and gun rights—must provide their contact details, potentially enabling AmericaPAC to follow up with them about their voting decisions.
Campaigns and political action committees often use petition signing, surveys, or merchandise sales to collect extensive databases of voter information. This data helps them more effectively target voters or fundraise from those who are already supportive.
In Pennsylvania, Musk is offering $100 to voters who sign the petition, plus an additional $100 for each referral who also signs. In other battleground states, the referral bonus is $47.
The strategy may exploit a loophole in U.S. election law since no one is being directly paid to vote—though it introduces financial incentives that could identify likely Trump supporters.
In the U.S., paying people to vote, even just to cast a ballot without specifying a candidate, is illegal.
This rule led ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s to offer free products to everyone on Election Day in 2008 after initially planning to restrict it to those with an “I Voted” sticker.
When asked about Musk’s giveaway on Sunday, Trump said, “I haven’t followed that,” adding that he often speaks to Musk, whom he considers a “friend.”
Musk, the founder of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X (formerly Twitter), has become a prominent supporter of Trump. He launched AmericaPAC in July to back Trump’s campaign.
So far, Musk has donated $75 million (£57.5 million) to the group, which has quickly become a key player in Trump’s election efforts.
The Trump campaign relies heavily on external groups like AmericaPAC to reach out to voters.
A statement on the AmericaPAC website reads: “AmericaPAC was created to support these key values: Secure Borders, Safe Cities, Sensible Spending, Fair Justice System, Free Speech, Right to Self-Protection.”
Musk said his goal is to get “over a million, maybe two million, voters in the battleground states to sign the petition in support of the First and Second Amendments.”
“I think [it] sends a crucial message to our elected politicians,” he added.
Currently, Musk is the world’s richest man, with an estimated net worth of $248 billion (£191 billion), according to Forbes.
