Musk gives millions to Trump supporters in key swing states

By Veronica Michaels and Owen Noble

Elon Musk’s America PAC has been giving away $1 million prizes to registered voters in swing states, the legality of which is in question. **Courtesy of AP via freemalaysiatoday.com**

Every four years, a new wave of young adults become eligible to vote, and both parties fight to win them over. The Republican Party is leaning on high profile tech influencers and public figures like Elon Musk and Joe Rogan’s podcast platform to bring out the young male vote, and early polling suggests they are succeeding.

Musk has become the Republican Party’s biggest donor, with over $119 million donated to the party for voter mobilization and his new America PAC. Musk’s intentions might not be completely altruistic.

The tech titan has a lot to lose with a Harris victory, from clashes with the Biden Administration over misinformation on X (formerly Twitter) to scrutiny from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration over Tesla safety issues. Musk is outspoken on X and in public about his desire to be involved in the U.S. government and slash funding for regulatory agencies.

During a speech in support of former President Trump in early October, Elon Musk announced that his organization, America PAC, would give registered voters in swing states $100 and a chance at winning $1 million in exchange for signing a “Petition in Favor of Free Speech and the Right to Bear Arms.” On top of this, for each signee a person refers to the petition, they receive an additional $47.

This petition created a lottery that requires voter registration for entry. In response, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner requested that a state judge stop Musk, as Krasner claims that under federal law, incentivising a person to vote is illegal. Since then, the Justice Department sent Musk a letter, warning that his actions might be unlawful, but the lawsuit is on hold while it awaits consideration in federal court.

Musk certainly isn’t the first celebrity to endorse a political candidate, but celebrities may be playing a larger role in this election. As Gen Z ages and makes up a larger percentage of voters, both Democrats and Republicans seek to appeal to them with popular figures.

In the past week, Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance have appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience — a show whose viewers are predominantly young men aged 18 to 24. This demographic seems to be growing increasingly Republican as well, a recent Harvard Youth Poll found that young men were 27 percent less likely to vote for Harris when compared to women, a division which has grown by 13 percent since last spring.

Institute for Strategy and Technology junior Anthony Cacciato, head of the Carnegie Mellon College Republicans, said that some students signed the petition. Not only this, but up until the petition’s expiration, a group was stationed outside Purnell attempting to obtain more signatures.

Cacciato said a similar group was also outside the Cathedral of Learning. Regardless of the petition’s potential illegality, Cacciato argued that this situation may have a silver lining.

“Ultimately, when more people vote, that is a positive thing,” Cacciato said. “There are areas for us to criticize the methodology, yes, but we’re seeing a positive impact in a greater involvement in our democracy.”