Elon Musk's Voter Giveaway Sparks Debate: Legal or Political Maneuver?

[Social Media]

 

Elon Musk’s recent announcement of giving away $1 million a day until November 5 to a randomly selected person who signs a petition supporting free speech and gun rights has stirred significant controversy. The catch? Only registered voters in key swing states are eligible to sign the petition, raising concerns about the legality of the initiative. In the U.S., paying individuals to register to vote is illegal, making Musk's proposal a hot topic for debate.

 

Musk, however, has pushed back against the criticism, asserting that Democrats and their allies have undertaken similar actions in past elections. He responded to the criticism on his social media platform, X, referencing a past initiative by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “Zuckerberg did the same thing in 2020,” Musk posted. 

 

While Zuckerberg did indeed donate $400 million during the 2020 election cycle, that money was directed toward two non-partisan organizations. The funds were used to help manage the logistics of postal ballots, not to incentivize voters directly. Zuckerberg’s contributions were geared toward facilitating voting processes rather than influencing the voter registration process in a way that directly benefited individuals.

 

Historically, the Democratic Party has invested in voter mobilization efforts. For instance, in the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, the party launched a $25 million voter registration campaign. This campaign, however, did not involve paying individuals directly. The money was used to employ people to canvass neighborhoods and register voters, as well as fund television and digital ads promoting voter registration.

 

Michael Kang, a professor of law at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, expressed his concerns about Musk’s initiative. “It’s legal to pay people to go out to register voters, but you can’t pay people directly to register,” Kang explained. “I’ve never heard of something quite like Musk’s initiative,” he added, noting the unprecedented nature of Musk's plan.

 

As the debate over the legality of Musk’s pledge intensifies, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has already called for investigators to look into the matter. Pennsylvania is one of the key battleground states where Musk’s initiative could have a significant impact.

 

In the meantime, the White House has remained tight-lipped on the issue. When questioned during a daily press briefing about Musk’s increasingly visible role in Donald Trump’s campaign, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly declined to offer any comments. "I have no response," she stated, refusing to engage in the growing discussion about Musk’s political involvement.

 

Adding to the intrigue, former President Trump has publicly stated that if he were to win a second term, he would enlist Musk to lead a “government efficiency commission.” This statement underscores the evolving relationship between Musk and Trump, further intensifying speculation about Musk's role in the upcoming election. 

 

As November approaches, the impact of Musk’s pledge and its potential legal ramifications remain uncertain. One thing is clear: Musk’s actions have reignited the conversation about the intersection of money, politics, and voter influence in American elections.

 

Based on a report from the BBC 2024-10-22

 

 

 

[Cryingdick]

If they knew of a law it broke they would have arrested him already. 

[EVENKEEL]

It must really suck for the liberals when the rich guy isn't on their side.

[Tug]

10 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

It must really suck for the liberals when the rich guy isn't on their side.

It sucks for all of us when a corrupt rich guy undermines our democracy like this,is flakey in the extreme 

[dinsdale]

It's not illegal. As for second amendment the US definitely has a gun problem no doubt but what to do about it is debatable. As for freedom of speech everyone knows that freedom of speech has been severely diminished. Misinformation, disinformation and now malinformation is at the core of this. Who determines what is and isn't misinformation, disinformation or malinformation? Who determined what could and couldn't be posted on forums such as this during Covid which continues to this day. I find it very interesting that misinformation was saying mRNA jabs could be harmful. Who determined this to be misinformation? Of course it was deemed misinformation and anyone suggesting this was demonized as a conspiracy theorist. Today of course we know for a fact that it wasn't misinformation. This is just one example of "misinformation."

Edited October 21 by dinsdale

[impulse]

18 minutes ago, Tug said:

It sucks for all of us when a corrupt rich guy undermines our democracy like this,is flakey in the extreme 

 

You mean like Zuck did in 2020?

 

[dinsdale]

2 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

You mean like Zuck did in 2020?

 

And isn't it interesting that Zuck has come out exposing the Democratic free speech police during the epidemic.

[Cryingdick]

24 minutes ago, Tug said:

It sucks for all of us when a corrupt rich guy undermines our democracy like this,is flakey in the extreme 

Can you give me specific examples of how Musk is corrupt?

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, EVENKEEL said:

It must really suck for the liberals when the rich guy isn't on their side.

He’s not on your side either.

[EVENKEEL]

17 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

He’s not on your side either.

Guess I care more about the future of the USA than I do myself.

[Cryingdick]

 

Shapiro: Vern, you had Elon dead to rights with that lawsuit. What happened?

Vern: (sighs) Yeah, thought I had him. But his lawyers sank me faster than that ridiculous submersible he offered to send for the cave rescue.

Shapiro: (laughing) Oh yeah, that “kid-sized submarine.” More like a publicity stunt in a can. But that’s the problem, Vern—Musk is always stirring things up. If we lose this election, there’s gonna be political accountability, and he’s fanning the flames.

Vern: You’re saying, take him out before he can tweet about it?

Shapiro: Exactly. If he keeps causing a ruckus, my opponents could get the upper hand. If they win, it's not just me who’s toast.

Vern: (nodding) So, preemptive strike—before he sends in another useless sub.

[Call ends.]

Edited October 22 by Cryingdick

[Chomper Higgot]

15 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Guess I care more about the future of the USA than I do myself.

Almost certainly more than Musk does.

[Tug]

10 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Guess I care more about the future of the USA than I do myself.

I think your loyalty is misplaced but that aside I remember during 2020 the Republican state house in Georgia (I could be wrong about the particular state) made it illegal for water/shade/chairs or anything handed out to voters waiting in lines for hours and hours the last time we fired trump.now his pal is handing out a million dollars a day to one person in a swing state……sorry but that reeks big time.

[Cryingdick]

3 minutes ago, Tug said:

I think your loyalty is misplaced but that aside I remember during 2020 the Republican state house in Georgia (I could be wrong about the particular state) made it illegal for water/shade/chairs or anything handed out to voters waiting in lines for hours and hours the last time we fired trump.now his pal is handing out a million dollars a day to one person in a swing state……sorry but that reeks big time.

I ask again how is Musk corrupt?

[Chomper Higgot]

9 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

I ask again how is Musk corrupt?

Get your excuses ready:

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2023/06/03/market-manipulation-and-insider-trading-elon-musk-and-tesla-are-facing-a-fresh-nightmare-challenge/

[JonnyF]

Bad news for lefties. You gotta be in it to win it, and none of them are going to sign a petition calling for freedom of speech. 

[Eric Loh]

56 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Bad news for lefties. You gotta be in it to win it, and none of them are going to sign a petition calling for freedom of speech. 

Lefties are too decent to be involved in vote buying alleged criminal act. Elon must have felt that Trump's election bid is failing to  cook up this stunt. 

[JonnyF]

2 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Lefties are too decent to be involved in vote buying alleged criminal act. Elon must have felt that Trump's election bid is failing to  cook up this stunt. 

 

They seem fine with election interference.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/comment/2024/10/18/foreign-intereference-in-the-us-election-by-britains-labour/

[Eric Loh]

5 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

They seem fine with election interference.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/comment/2024/10/18/foreign-intereference-in-the-us-election-by-britains-labour/

Haven't happened yet and no indication of coordination with Harris campaign. It is dumb act by Labour Party. 

[Chomper Higgot]

44 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

They seem fine with election interference.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/comment/2024/10/18/foreign-intereference-in-the-us-election-by-britains-labour/

More ill informed nonsense, but at least you have the excuse of being misled by the Telegraph.

 

The ‘volunteers’ are people who worked on the Labour Campaign, they are not members of the Labour Party.

 

The Telegraph’s myopia is thick on this one, picking up on former Labour campaigners while ignoring completely the efforts of Farage (an actual leader of a political party) to support Trump.

 

I guess they still haven’t gotten over July 5th.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, Eric Loh said:

Haven't happened yet and no indication of coordination with Harris campaign. It is dumb act by Labour Party. 

It’s not an act by the Labour Party, though the Telegraph would like to mislead you into believing it is.

 

 

Edited October 22 by Chomper Higgot

[Eric Loh]

7 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It’s not an act by the Labour Party, though the Telegraph would like to mislead you into believing it is.

 

 

You could be right on this. Still this is nothing out of the ordinary. Liz Truss spoke at the recent RNC and hit out at Biden. 

[JonnyF]

6 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The ‘volunteers’ are people who worked on the Labour Campaign, they are not members of the Labour Party.

 

It is being arranged by the Head of Operations at the Labour Party using Labour party staff.

 

[thaipo7]

5 hours ago, Tug said:

It sucks for all of us when a corrupt rich guy undermines our democracy like this,is flakey in the extreme 

The Democrats are the party of the billionaires.   As soon as Trump receives money from one , the Democrats start their path of destruction of that person.  Also the Democrats are the kings of dark money flowing in from every despot corner of the world.  With the DOJ in their pocket, they get away with it.  What a corrupt bunch of people supported by the uneducated in the US.  

[candide]

18 minutes ago, thaipo7 said:

The Democrats are the party of the billionaires.   As soon as Trump receives money from one , the Democrats start their path of destruction of that person.  Also the Democrats are the kings of dark money flowing in from every despot corner of the world.  With the DOJ in their pocket, they get away with it.  What a corrupt bunch of people supported by the uneducated in the US.  

Complete B.S. 😃

[transam]

24 minutes ago, thaipo7 said:

The Democrats are the party of the billionaires.   As soon as Trump receives money from one , the Democrats start their path of destruction of that person.  Also the Democrats are the kings of dark money flowing in from every despot corner of the world.  With the DOJ in their pocket, they get away with it.  What a corrupt bunch of people supported by the uneducated in the US.  

I am sure you will provide some sort of link for us to read on your assertions..

[jippytum]

If Elon wants to gift some of his own hard earned cash to voters good for him. 

Thaksin did the same but didn't use his own money. 

[malibukid]

no different from PAC's who buy congressional votes  besides its peanuts to Elon

Edited October 22 by malibukid

[EVENKEEL]

7 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Almost certainly more than Musk does.

Musk is pioneering space travel, electric car innovator. What a loser, right??

[Chomper Higgot]

5 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Musk is pioneering space travel, electric car innovator. What a loser, right??

He didn’t pioneer either, he bought into other people’s innovations.