Summary
Elon Musk and his America PAC face lawsuits in Texas and Michigan from voters claiming they were misled by Musk’s million-dollar giveaway, which allegedly promoted itself as a random sweepstakes.
Plaintiffs Jacqueline McAferty and Robert Anthony Alvarez argue they wouldn’t have provided personal information or signed a petition if they’d known winners were chosen based on their support for Donald Trump, rather than randomly.
Musk’s lawyer recently revealed that the PAC selected winners from swing states as spokespeople, contradicting claims of a nonpartisan, random giveaway.
The PA ruling is going to make it hard for him to win these suits.
The sad thing is that “offering lottery entries for being registered to vote” and “offering a lottery-style contest that secretly does not select winners randomly” are two crimes, neither of which is mutually exclusive from the other, and the judge still ruled that it could continue.
Why is offering lottery entries for being registered to vote a crime? You could have gotten a ticket and then vote whatever, no?
Because 42 U.S.C. § 1973i© says so:
© False information in registering or voting; penalties Whoever knowingly or willfully gives false information as to his name, address or period of residence in the voting district for the purpose of establishing his eligibility to register or vote, or conspires with another individual for the purpose of encouraging his false registration to vote or illegal voting, or pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both: Provided, however, That this provision shall be applicable only to general, special, or primary elections held solely or in part for the purpose of selecting or electing any candidate for the office of President, Vice President, presidential elector, Member of the United States Senate, Member of the United States House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, Guam, or the Virgin Islands, or Resident Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
That sounds dumb, promoting voting participation doesn’t sound like it should be illegal. But whatever.
But using gambling addictions to do so is.
It is like offering heroin when you clean your room. “But cleaning your room doesn’t sound like it should be illegal”
I guess, you are right. But that’s not what’s illegal, ironically. Directly offering money is according to the other one who linked me an US law.
It’s because you can target specific people, creating the outcome you want to see.
It is illegal to bribe people to vote
Apparently, I don’t think it should be though. Promoting voter participation should be celebrated, not fined. Even if it’s that shitbag doing it.
It absolutely should be. Do you want wealthy people to be able to offer poor and/or homeless people $100 to vote for candidate X?
Because that’s not a hypothetical, that shit used to happen all of the time.
I did not say that, in that I 100% agree with you but is not what was suggested. Bribing people to vote for X is completely different to bribing people to vote fullstop.
And how do you let the one happen while preventing the other?
state laws on gambling and lotteries are not to be messed with. he set himself up brilliantly to get hammered by multiple states. and that’s on top of the probable federal and state election laws.
I was having a really shitty day and then: THIS!
This warms the cockles of my cold, black heart.
Trump will just save him. Sorry to ruin it for you.
The damage was already done and that’s all that really mattered. Being sued had to be something they already thought of. In the end what fines are we even talking about here? Do we really think it matters much to a multi billionaire who gave away 120 million to a PAC? Whatever he pays doesn’t matter.
Can’t wait for a long list of lawsuits that get quashed by the executive branch that conservatives are going to justify then ignore…
Class Action!
