Elon Musk attacked postal voting “crazy” idea That encourages voter fraud, but he voted by mail twice while living in California, according to voting history records obtained by NBC News.
Musk voted by mail in the November 2016 and November 2018 midterm elections, when Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton. Musk’s main residence was then in Los Angeles.
State records show Musk has a low voting history in California. In the 18 years he has been eligible to vote there, he has only voted in these two elections. He became eligible to vote after becoming a US citizen in 2002 and cast his first ballot 14 years later, at the age of 45. He was actively registered to vote until August 2006, records show.
Among the elections Musk missed were presidential races with Barack Obama, John McCain and Mitt Romney on the ballot, all primaries and all local elections. California has it open primary system all registered voters are allowed to participate.
This is the first time Musk’s voting records in California have been made public. NBC News obtained the date through a public records request to the California Secretary of State’s office. The office initially denied Musk’s request for a voter file, saying it did not provide records for canceled registrations. He later reversed the decision.
Musk canceled his state registration in August 2020, according to his voter file. He announced this at the conference held in December 2020 He had moved to Texas.
NBC News reached out to Musk for comment on his past statements regarding the voting date and mail-in ballots. In an email, he didn’t address his vote but maintained his opinion about voter fraud.
“Voting by mail has been recognized around the world as an invitation to fraud,” he wrote.
Musk has criticized mail-in voting on the social media app X at least four times this year, mixing his criticisms with falsehoods and partial truths about the US election — part of a wider pattern of his tweeting. misleading or false claims about election security.
In January he wrote: “You don’t need a government-issued ID to vote in the US, and you can mail in your ballot. This is madness.”
But this is misleading. Standard voter registration form asks applicants for their ID numbers, and although specific requirements vary by state, they generally ask for a driver’s license number, state identification number, or Social Security number. And some states Like Texasask people for the same information again when voting by mail. California requires some first-time voters to mail copies of ID cards along with ballots.
In May, Musk falsely claimed Widespread voting by mail was ‘not allowed’ before the Covid-19 pandemic: “Widespread voting by mail (not allowed before fraud) makes it almost impossible to prove fraud.”
Both times Musk voted, mail-in voting was the choice of most California voters. In the November 2018 election, 65% of California ballots were cast by mail. according to state records. In the elections held in November 2016, this indicator was 58%.
California now has general postal votingall registered voters receive ballots in advance that they can mail back or deliver by hand.
California’s secretary of state declined to comment on Musk’s criticism, but he did provide information on how the state is trying to ensure the integrity of the system. It said people check their ID numbers against what’s on file when they register and check their signatures when people vote by mail. State law requires voters to certify under penalty of perjury that they are eligible to vote. The office also said it captures IP addresses used for all online voter registration in case someone tries to register multiple names from the same device, among other security measures.
Numerous studies and investigations have documented There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the United States, and instances of mail-in or absentee ballot fraud are extremely rare. When these occurred, prosecutors successfully brought a highly publicized case against the perpetrators Fraud scheme in North CarolinaDespite Musk’s claim that mail-in voting makes it nearly impossible to prove fraud.
Musk’s own Super PAC, America PAC, is encouraging some state voters to cast absentee ballots with mail-in ballots. NBC News obtained a mailing from America PAC that was distributed in Wisconsin and included a QR code linked to America PAC’s website, which reads, “SCAN HERE TO APPLY FOR YOUR POLICE BALLOT.” In Wisconsin, voters can cast an absentee ballot by mailing it in, bringing it to the county clerk’s office, or bringing it to a polling place.
After moving to Texas, Musk voted absentee in 2020. The Daily Beast reported. It is unclear if he mailed the ballot. The website also reported that Musk had voted in the June 2022 election in Texas, but dropped out of the November 2022 election.
Musk is registered to vote in Brownsville, Texas, where SpaceX operates, although he lived in Austin as of December. Report from Business Insiderciting court records.
Musk, CEO SpaceX and Teslais often ranked as the richest man in the world.
Musk is not the only person who has both criticized and used postal voting. Trump did the same thingIncluding voting by mail in Florida in 2020. Musk supported Trump’s bid to return to the White House over Vice President Kamala Harris.
Postal voting was around for years associated with the Democrats as part of their get-out-the-vote efforts. But this year some Republicans accept it as a way increase activity on their side.
Musk He wrote in X this year, “I voted 100% Dem until a few years ago.” The contents of the ballots are secret, and state records do not show who Musk voted for.
He said that he voted For Clinton in 2016 and for President Joe Biden in 2020.
Musk was registered as a nonpartisan in California, which is consistent with his self-described independent.