Elon Musk is Giving $1 Million a Day to Pennsylvania Voters. Is It Legal?

Elon Musk has ramped up his efforts to help Donald Trump win Pennsylvania by running a $1 million daily lottery, sparking dialogue on the legality of the strategy.

For Context: Earlier in October, Musk announced he would give a cash reward to potential swing state voters who signed his America PAC’s petition supporting First and Second Amendment rights. Now he’s running a $1 million daily lottery for Pennsylvanian petition signers. 

NYT Report: The New York Times (Lean Left bias) prominently noted that “federal law says it is a crime for someone who ‘pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting,’” but that “Musk’s allies have argued” since he “is not directly paying for voter registration” it is legal. It also spoke to a campaign finance lawyer who said Musk’s initial cash incentive seemed “lawful” but that his new $1 million lottery is “much closer to the legal line.” Additionally, it quoted a former Federal Election Commission chairman who said it was “something of a gray area” but “not that close to the line.”

CNN Report: Conversely, CNN (Lean Left bias) reported speaking to a former Justice Department official who said, “This isn’t a particularly close case – this is exactly what the statute was designed to criminalize.” 

Call to Investigate: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said he believes law enforcement “could” investigate the operation.

Right Media Coverage: The Daily Mail (Right bias) highlighted CNN’s report, and Newsmax (Right bias) highlighted the Times’.