DETROIT – Three Michigan men have been chosen as the winners of $1 million each through a petition from Elon Musk.
The petition was created for people to pledge their support for the First and Second Amendments.
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Three men from Michigan have been selected so far: Ronald from Clarkston, Jason from Holland, and Jordan from Hastings. According to the website, another person from Michigan will receive $1 million on Election Day.
The petition expires on Nov. 5, 2024, but questions are circulating about whether or not it is legal.
What is the petition?
The PAC, founded by Elon Musk, created a program where registered voters are rewarded for signing a petition in support of the First and Second Amendments.
“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.”
The petition is exclusively for registered voters to sign in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina—all known to be swing states.
Petition rewards
Those who sign the petition will receive $47 for each registered voter they refer to sign it.
There was also a special offer for Pennsylvania registered voters who could get $100 if they signed the petition. They could also get another $100 if they refer a petition signer. That offer ended on Oct. 28.
One petition signer every day until Nov. 5, Election Day, is chosen to receive $1 million. The winners are announced on America PAC’s X, formerly known as Twitter.
Is this legal?
Under federal law, paying someone to vote or registering to vote is illegal.
However, some experts told NBC News since signing the petition does not mention any specific party affiliation, it is technically legal.
“The relevant legal question is whether this is payment to induce people to register,” Nate Persily, a professor at Stanford Law School, told NBC News. “If it is, then it violates the law. If it’s payment to induce people to sign a petition, then it’s not a problem.”
Rick Hasen, the director of the UCLA School of Law’s Safeguarding Democracy Project and an NBC News election law analyst, said the petition is “clearly illegal” since “lottery chances” are an example of illegal bribery under the Justice Department’s Election Crimes Manual.
The experts who spoke with NBC News also believe law enforcement will likely stop the lottery or fine Musk before the election.
