The U.S. Department of Justice has warned Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, who offered a daily $1 million (approximately 1.3818 billion KRW) lottery prize for conservative voter registration to support the election of former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, that this may violate federal law.
According to CNBC and others, the Department of Justice recently conveyed the position that the $1 million lottery targeting swing state voters, organized by Musk’s super PAC (political action committee) called "America PAC" to support former President Trump’s election, could violate federal law.
Earlier, on the 19th, Musk promised at a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a swing state, that one person who signed a petition supporting freedom of speech and gun ownership rights until the U.S. presidential election would be randomly selected to receive $1 million daily. The petition was managed by America PAC. However, since the eligibility to sign the petition was limited to voters in seven swing states that could decide the election outcome?Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin?this sparked controversy as a form of "vote buying."
Immediately, Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, raised concerns that this issue could be legally problematic. Federal law prohibits giving money or other compensation in exchange for voter registration. Violating this provision can result in a $10,000 fine and up to five years imprisonment.
Musk stated, "The winner can be affiliated with any party or be independent, and does not have to vote," but he did not explain why the lottery was limited to registered voters. Musk has shown overt support for former President Trump in this election campaign, including attending Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, according to the America PAC website, starting from the first lottery on the 19th through the 22nd, three Pennsylvania residents and one North Carolina resident have won the $1 million prize.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
