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Elon Musk's latest cash splash in support of Donald Trump's US presidential campaign may be raising eyebrows, with questions around its legality and effectiveness, but experts say it's not as clear cut as it seems. Musk gave US$1 million ($1.5 million) cheques to two attendees of his America PAC event at the weekend in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in a move aimed at rallying supporters behind Trump.
The Tesla and SpaceX co-founder said he will give US$1 million each day to registered voters in the swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin who sign an online petition in support of the first and second amendments in the United States constitution. These amendments protect US citizens' right to freedom of speech and to bear arms legally. It is a federal crime to pay people with the intention of inducing or rewarding them to cast a vote or to get registered, an offence punishable by prison time.
The prohibition covers not only monetary expenditures but also anything of monetary value, like liquor or lottery chances, according to a US justice department election crimes manual. Pennsylvania's Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, said Musk's plan to give money to registered voters in the state was "deeply concerning" and "something that law enforcement could take a look at". Is Elon Musk's petition lottery legal? The legalities are likely to be scrutinised in the coming days but one law professor believes it's not.
Richard L. Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, said in a blog post: "Though maybe some of the other things Musk was doing were of murky legality, this one is clearly illegal." Hasen cited a section of the US Code that says anyone who knowingly or wilfully "pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting.
.. Rashida Yosufzai.
