The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has written to Elon Musk’s political action committee, America PAC, saying his daily giveaway of $1 million to every registered voter may contravene federal election laws.
Musk launched the initiative during an event at Pennsylvania last week. The move is to urge people to register as voters by joining in a sweepstakes associated with a petition calling for the preservation and protection of the First and Second Amendments.
Contest Details
It has offered a daily prize of $1 million for a contest organised by Musk and rewarded the signers of the petition that America PAC has been distributing to the voters of seven swing states, including Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.
Any applicant must be a registered voter and need not be associated with any political party. Musk says his aim is to achieve between one to two million signatures from voters in these battleground regions.Legal Problems
Reports indicate that the letter, issued by the Public Integrity Section, details possible election-law violations, among which the prohibition against paying for a voter’s registration. Attorneys are also in doubt about the legality of Musk’s plan since some feel that the violation could be considered as direct and literal ones against federal statutes regulating electoral conduct. Paul Schiff Berman, a George Washington University law professor stated the law prohibits paying for voter registration and voting.
But Musk maintains it is not illegal, in his mind anyway, because people are not limited by political parties in participating and no vote needs to be made to win.
Political Reactions
The contest has invited fierce criticism, particularly from Democratic lawmakers. A group of former Republican prosecutors also called for the DOJ to investigate Musk’s giveaway, saying, “We are aware of nothing like this in modern political history,” and touting the possible implications for federal and state statutes governing electoral processes.
In a reworded version of the game’s rules, America PAC redefined the prize as compensation for serving as a media mouthpiece where the winners would be given opportunities to produce content for Donald Trump.
The unending murmur of legality over Musk’s move as the November 5th election gets closer with the DOJ yet to put out a formal decision on the issue. Legal experts also say, even if Musk has an upper hand through a loop-hole in law, it would still be tough for the law enforcement agencies to enforce the rest of the present legislation and stand over his contest.
These cases of the lottery-style giveaway by Musk remind everyone of the huge confusion between campaign finance laws and voter engagement tactics in the U.S. – investigation into these incidents may have a huge impact on electoral practices in the future.