Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on Sunday responded to billionaire Elon Musk’s America PAC petition supporting “free speech and the right to bear arms” under the First and Second Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. He said it was very concerning that they were trying to give money to registered voters who signed up. Musk, who has recently become an outspoken and vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump in an effort to justify law enforcement investigations, spoke at City Hall in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday night. announced that they will randomly award $1 million each day until the deadline. On Election Day, Nov. 5, registered Pennsylvania voters who sign the petition will be eligible. He personally presented the first $1 million check to participants at the Harrisburg rally.
After taking over Twitter, Musk declared, “Free speech is the foundation of democracy,” and has called himself a free speech absolutist.
Musk’s petitions have been controversial since he began offering financial incentives to registered voters to sign them. Pennsylvania voters were previously offered $100 for signing a petition and $100 for a referral. Voters in other battleground states, including Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina, will be offered $47 per referral. This program expires on October 21st. Musk tried to rationalize the $1 million prize and incentives at Harrisburg City Hall.
One of the challenges we have is how do we get people to know about this petition because legacy media has been warned to report on it. How do we get people to know about X since not everyone is on it? Now, I think this news will really spread. So, starting tonight, $1,000,000 will be awarded every day from now until the election.
In an interview with Meet the Press on Sunday, Shapiro criticized Musk’s petition incentives, saying they could violate campaign finance laws.
(W)We have a difference of opinion. I don’t disagree with him, but I think when you start funneling this kind of money into politics, it raises serious questions that people might want to consider. …I think it’s something that law enforcement could look into. I am no longer the Attorney General of Pennsylvania. I’m the governor. But it raises some serious questions.
Shapiro is not alone in his concerns about Musk’s petition. “While some of the other things Musk was doing were of ambiguous legality, this was clearly illegal,” said Rich Hasan, a University of California, Los Angeles, law professor and election law expert. ” he claimed. Hasan cited 52 USC § 10307, stating:
Knowingly or knowingly provides false information about one’s name, address, or period of residence in a voting precinct for the purpose of establishing eligibility to register or vote, or otherwise for the purpose of encouraging false voting or illegal registration. A person who conspires with a person who makes a payment, offers to make a payment, or accepts a payment to register or vote is subject to a fine of not more than $10,000, or imprisonment of not more than 5 years, or both. .
Some argue that while Musk’s actions may be questionable, they are not illegal. Jill Wine Banks, now a legal analyst at MSNBC, took a different view.
It’s terrible, but I don’t know if it’s a crime or not. Paying someone to sign a meaningless petition is a violation of paying someone to register or vote, even if the person had an incentive to register to get paid to sign the petition. Is it the same as paying? Also, someone should have told Musk that registration in Pennsylvania ends today.
Former Federal Election Commission Chairman Brad Smith also maintains that Musk’s actions were not illegal.
