Philadelphia’s Democratic district attorney has filed a lawsuit to block X owner Elon Musk’s $1 million daily giveaway to influence voters in the state.
Larry Krasner has filed a lawsuit to stop the campaign, which would have an impact on battleground states, calling it an “illegal lottery scheme” that violates consumer protection laws.
The Tesla CEO is giving away a large sum of money to voters in Arizona, Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin every day through Nov. 5.
To qualify, voters must support pledges that align more closely with the Republican Party’s campaign, including the First and Second Amendments — which include freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.
Voting rights experts have raised concerns about the legality of Musk’s giveaway, but Krasner’s lawsuit is the first legal action to challenge the controversial lottery.
Philadelphia’s Democratic district attorney has filed a lawsuit to block X owner Elon Musk’s $1 million swing state giveaway
Kristine Fishell is one of the winners of Elon Musk’s $1 million daily giveaway. Now, an election law expert has joined a cacophony of voices describing the measure as unethical and even potentially illegal
The Tesla CEO and the world’s richest man recently announced that he would give away a large sum of money every day until the November 5 presidential election to a random registered voter from seven swing states who signed his America PAC petition in support of the primary and secondary election campaigns. change
“America PAC and Musk must be stopped immediately before the upcoming November 5 presidential election,” Krasner’s lawsuit reads.
“That’s because America PAC and Musk set up their illegal lottery scheme to influence voters in that election.”
“The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is charged with protecting the public from public nuisance and unfair business practices, including illegal lotteries,” Krasner added in a statement.
“The District Attorney’s Office is also charged with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections.”
Musk’s supporters say he has no influence over the outcome of the election and that Democrats are desperate to stop him as Kamala Harris’ campaign loses steam.
It comes a week after the US Department of Justice also warned Musk that the giveaway violated federal laws prohibiting voter incentives.
Musk’s America PAC has pledged nearly $75 million to help Trump get re-elected.
Derek Muller, a professor at Notre Dame Law School, explained why Musk’s giveaways could be illegal.
“If you limit prizes or giveaways to only registered voters or only people who have voted, then there are concerns about bribery,” he told CNN.
Mr. Muller warned that by limiting the giveaway to only registered voters, Musk would be handing out money for voter registration.
The CNN contributor added that offering free money to already registered voters before the lottery was announced would violate federal law.
However, he described the offer to people who had not yet registered as “much more problematic” because it could be seen as a potential inducement to register.
Muller said most states criminalize only paying people to vote and that it’s rare for prosecutors to pursue election bribery cases, especially since the Supreme Court has continued to narrow the scope of bribery laws.
David Becker, a former Justice Department official who handles voting rights cases, further criticized Musk’s giveaway, saying it’s “strong evidence” that the billionaire is trying to influence the race by only offering the stimulus in seven swing states.
He said, “This is not a particularly narrow case, this is exactly what the law was designed to criminalize
Philadelphia Democratic District Attorney Files Lawsuit to Block Elon Musk’s ‘Illegal’ $1 Million Swing State Giveaway