Elon Musk’s $1 Million Daily Voter Sweepstakes Survives Legal Challenge—Is It a Political Stunt or a Scam?

A Pennsylvania judge ruled that Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes can continue until Election Day, despite objections from Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who called it a scam. Musk’s lawyers argued that recipients are paid spokespeople rather than random winners, and the sweepstakes aims to support political engagement. Krasner plans to pursue legal action against the PAC, raising concerns about election integrity and potential violations of state laws.

CONTENTS:

• Musk’s America PAC awards swing state voters.
• Judge allows Musk’s $1 million giveaway.
• Judge permits Musk’s voter sweepstakes to continue.

Elon Musk’s $1 Million Daily Voter Sweepstakes Survives Legal Challenge—Is It a Political Stunt or a Scam?

Musk’s America PAC awards swing state voters

Elon Musk’s $1 Million Daily Voter Sweepstakes Elon Musk’s political group, America PAC, has awarded $1 million to voters in swing states, as ruled by a judge. The giveaway, which is set to conclude today, has revealed the final recipients, according to a lawyer representing the billionaire during a court hearing on Monday.

In a twist, the lawyer clarified that the beneficiaries of the funds are not chosen randomly, as previously thought, but by a specific group. Philadelphia District Attorney Lawrence Krasner had filed a lawsuit to halt what he termed an “illegal lottery” after Musk announced that he would give money to one voter in a swing state each day leading up to Election Day.

Pennsylvania Judge Angelo Foglietta did not provide an immediate explanation for his ruling, which was issued just hours after the hearing, according to the Associated Press.

Judge allows Musk’s $1 million giveaway

Elon Musk’s $1 Million Daily Voter Sweepstakes A Pennsylvania judge ruled on Monday that Elon Musk’s daily $1 million giveaway to voters can continue, marking a victory for the tech billionaire and his ally, Donald Trump. However, the ruling’s practical effect is limited since the sweepstakes is set to end on Election Day, Tuesday.

Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Angelo Foglietta dismissed arguments from the city’s district attorney, Larry Krasner, who claimed the sweepstakes was an illegal lottery in violation of state law that needed to be halted immediately. The ruling followed a contentious all-day hearing in a crowded courtroom, where Krasner’s team criticized Musk’s political group as “shysters” running a “scam,” while Musk’s team accused Krasner of infringing on constitutional rights.

Krasner, a progressive Democrat, filed the lawsuit a week ago. Despite the legal challenges, Musk’s giveaways continued throughout the court proceedings, even amid a Justice Department warning that the cash prizes could violate federal election laws.

Musk and his legal team described Krasner’s lawsuit as a “publicity stunt,” suggesting it stemmed from his disagreement with Musk’s support for Trump. After the ruling, Krasner’s spokesperson commented that “a lot of truth came out of court today,” hinting at more revelations to come.

The judge’s decision pertained to Krasner’s emergency motion to stop the sweepstakes immediately, but the underlying case regarding the legality of Musk’s giveaway under state gaming law is still pending.

During the hearing, Krasner indicated that his office plans to seek restitution from Musk or his super PAC for what he called the victims of an unlawful lottery that deceived Philadelphia residents. Musk’s lawyers admitted in court that winners were not chosen “by chance,” arguing that the so-called “prize” was compensation for acting as a spokesperson for the super PAC.

Musk’s lawyer, Chris Gober, claimed that recipients of the $1 million “earn” it for their services, countering that this arrangement does not constitute a lottery. Krasner’s legal representative, John Summers, dismissed this explanation as a “complete admission of liability,” and Krasner himself characterized it as disingenuous.

Musk had previously stated that the giveaway was intended to award $1 million randomly to individuals who signed a petition supporting the Constitution. Krasner argued that the entire operation was political marketing disguised as a lottery.

During the hearing, Musk’s political adviser, Chris Young, explained that their goal was to ensure compensation was only provided to registered voters and U.S. citizens, and to avoid payments to foreign nationals or individuals with harmful intentions. Young added that many sign-ups came from people not registered to vote, who were then encouraged to verify their registration status.

The Justice Department’s warning highlighted that the sweepstakes could violate federal laws prohibiting cash or prizes offered as incentives for voter registration. Election law expert Derek Muller noted that the testimony suggests the PAC viewed the sweepstakes as a means to encourage voter registration, which could lead to legal consequences if the Department of Justice decides to pursue charges.

Judge permits Musk’s voter sweepstakes to continue

Elon Musk’s $1 Million Daily Voter Sweepstakes A Pennsylvania judge ruled on Monday that Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes can continue until Tuesday’s presidential election. Common Pleas Court Judge Angelo Foglietta made the decision after Musk’s lawyers argued that the recipients are paid spokespeople rather than randomly chosen winners. The judge did not provide an immediate explanation for his ruling.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, had called the sweepstakes a scam aimed at influencing a national election and requested that it be halted. Musk’s lawyer, Chris Gober, stated that the last two recipients would be announced in Arizona on Monday and Michigan on Tuesday, adding that the winners were predetermined and not selected by chance.

Chris Young, the director and treasurer of America PAC, testified that recipients are vetted in advance to ensure their values align with those of the group. Musk’s legal team defended the sweepstakes as “core political speech,” pointing out that participants sign a petition endorsing the U.S. Constitution. They argued that Krasner’s attempts to stop the sweepstakes were moot, as there would be no further Pennsylvania winners before the program’s conclusion.

Krasner believes the sweepstakes violates state election laws and contradicts Musk’s earlier promises to award money randomly to petition signers. Young acknowledged that recipients had signed nondisclosure agreements, which Krasner’s legal representative suggested was to conceal the true nature of the payouts.

During the court proceedings, Krasner challenged Musk’s earlier claims about the randomness of the winners, emphasizing that Musk had stated participants had a “daily chance of winning $1M.” Young conceded that “randomly” was not the best word choice in this context.

Musk did not attend the hearing, having committed over $70 million to the super PAC to support Trump and other Republican candidates. Krasner characterized the operation as a political marketing scheme disguised as a lottery.

Lawyers for Musk and America PAC stated that they do not plan to extend the sweepstakes beyond Tuesday. Krasner noted that the first three winners were announced from Pennsylvania leading up to the state’s voter registration deadline, with subsequent winners from other battleground states like Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina, and Michigan. It remains unclear if any winners have received their payouts, though the PAC has promised they would be compensated by November 30.

Elon Musk’s $1 Million Daily Voter Sweepstakes More than a million participants from the seven states have signed the petition supporting the First and Second Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Krasner raised concerns about how the PAC might use this data post-election, stating that participants were “scammed for their information” which could be used indefinitely.

Krasner’s team referred to Musk as “the heartbeat of America PAC” and highlighted his involvement in announcing winners and presenting checks, though they questioned the authenticity of the checks themselves. Judge Foglietta oversaw the case at Philadelphia City Hall after Musk and the PAC’s attempt to move it to federal court was unsuccessful.

Krasner also indicated that he could pursue criminal charges and is responsible for ensuring the integrity of elections and lotteries. With Pennsylvania being a crucial battleground state with 19 electoral votes, both Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris have made several campaign stops there in the final days leading up to the election. Krasner, who mentioned he has long been a Tesla driver, could also consider seeking civil damages for Pennsylvania registrants, given Musk’s prominent role as CEO and largest shareholder of Tesla, as well as his ownership of the social media platform X, where America PAC has been promoting the sweepstakes.