Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told NBC News on Sunday that tech mogul Elon Musk’s plan to give money to registered voters in Pennsylvania is “deeply troubling” and “something that law enforcement could look into.” click.”
Shapiro’s comments come a day after Musk in Pennsylvania announced that he will give 1 million dollars a dayy until voting day to registered voters who signed a petition circulated by his super PAC “in favor of free speech and the right to bear arms.”
The super PAC has made it a requirement to sign petitions to attend rallies Musk has headlined, and on Saturday he surprised one rally attendee by handing out the first $1 million check on stage.
Shapiro, a Democrat, said Sunday that his skepticism was not fueled by political differences with Musk, who has backed former President Donald Trump and pledged to use millions of dollars through a super PAC to elect Pennsylvania voters for the former president. these cash prizes.
“Obviously, Musk has a right to his opinion. He’s been very, very clear that he supports Donald Trump. I don’t. Obviously, we have a difference of opinion,” Shapiro said. I don’t deny it, it’s true, but when you start pouring such money into politics, I think it raises serious questions.”
Questions about the legality of those cash payments abounded Saturday night, as election law experts pointed to various provisions in federal law that prohibit cash payments to voters.
Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, director of the Project for the Preservation of Democracy and Election Law Analyst for NBC News, said the payments “is clearly illegal“In a post on his website on Saturday night.
He pointed to federal law: 52 USC 10307(c), which states that “any person who pays or offers to pay or accepts payment to register to vote or to vote shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or shall be punished with two.”
Hasen told NBC News on Sunday that Musk’s PAC is offering payments only to registered voters, not the general public, which could make the scheme illegal.
“What you’re actually doing is you’re creating a lottery. You’re creating a lottery where the only people eligible to participate in the lottery are people who are registered to vote or registered to vote, and that’s illegal,” Hasan said.
He noted that the general purpose behind election laws banning bribery is to prevent people from buying votes, but “to violate that law, you don’t have to say you have to vote for a particular candidate…Either encourage people to register or vote, or might as well reward them,” Hasen told NBC News on Sunday.
Musk and a representative for American PAC did not immediately respond to requests for comment for this story.
It’s unclear whether federal authorities will investigate Musk’s $1 million lottery payments, but Hasen said federal authorities have the option of prosecuting Musk or simply warning the mogul to stop making such payments to registered voters.
“It seems that if this law is going to be implemented, it needs to be prevented,” Hasen said.