When I imagine the future of American politics I see Elon Musk’s grinning face as he gives away a million bucks on stage before a crowd of clapping people. Musk is approaching politics the way a YouTuber like MrBeast approaches audience engagement. Both men are giving away huge cash prizes to get people to tune in, and they’re ignoring the legality and consequences of their actions.
Over the weekend, Musk handed out oversized novelty $1 million checks to two voters in Pennsylvania. During a ceremony filmed and broadcast on X, the billionaire gave away the cash to voters who signed a petition he’s peddling in support of the constitution.
John Dreher, the first million-dollar winner, is a self-professed huge Musk fan. “Actually meeting Elon, I kind of forgot about the money for a little bit,” Dreher said in a video on X. “He’s such an influential figure for guys my age who are working hard every day.”
“When he came on stage it was so exciting,” Kristine Fishell, the second million-dollar winner, said in her own video on X. “He did the jump like he did at the Butler rally, it was just really fun to see.”
The videos are striking because they feel more like entertainment than politics. In America, the two have long gone hand in hand, but Musk giving away cash prizes to registered voters and making them sit down to film testimonials afterward feels like a generational shift. These are the kinds of videos that would fit well on the feed of a YouTuber like MrBeast who gives away huge cash prizes for people who compete in games where they suffer and humiliate themselves.
These two Pennsylvania residents received $1 million each from Elon Musk for signing a petition in support of the First and Second Amendments! 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/eef2a8C9ht
— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) October 20, 2024
Musk has been heavily involved in the U.S. presidential election since the attempted assassination of Trump in July. He started a pro-Trump super PAC and injected $75 million of his own cash, repeatedly posted his support for Trump online, and appeared with the candidate at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
But the billionaire’s latest scheme may violate campaign finance law. He’s giving one lucky voter in a swing state who signs his petition $1 million per day, every day, until the election. What’s the petition? It’s simple. “The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I am pledging my support for the First and Second Amendments,” it says.
Any registered voter who signs on the dotted line gets $47 bucks and is entered for a chance to win the $1 million. The cash is only available to some voters. “This program is exclusively open to registered voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. Expires October 21,” the petition says.
If you’re wondering if this is legal, you’re not alone. On Sunday, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro called out Musk’s scheme on Meet the Press. “Musk obviously has a right to be able to express his views. He’s made it very, very clear that he supports Donald Trump. I don’t. Obviously we have a difference of opinion,” Shapiro said. “I don’t deny him that, right, but when you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions.”
Rick Hansen, a legal scholar at the UCLA School of Law, called out Musk’s giveaway on his Election Law Blog. Hansen’s view? “This one is clearly illegal,” Hansen said of the $1 million giveaway.
Hansen pointed to section 52 U.S.C. 10307(c) of U.S. election law and page 44 of the Justice Department’s Election Crimes Manual. “For an offer or a payment to violate Section 10307(c), it must have been intended to induce or reward the voter for engaging in one or more acts necessary to cast a ballot,” the manual said.
The matter isn’t clear-cut. The money and prizes are for signing a petition, but the petition is thinly veiled and covered in language about registered voters. In their videos, both Fishell and Dreher emphasized the importance of voting and voting early. It’s clear to anyone watching that the cash prizes aren’t just rewards for the petition, but monetary incentives to get out the vote.
What will come of this? Will Musk be prosecuted? I think that will largely depend on the outcome of the Presidential election. But one thing I know for sure: the future of American politics will have more MrBeast-style stunts.
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