John, Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day voter lottery is now on the radar of the Department of Justice, and for good reason. They’ve warned him that his scheme could be crossing into illegal territory. [1]

Here’s why: It’s against the law to pay or financially incentivize people to register to vote (or vote). And the fact that Musk’s offer is limited to swing state voters who align with his politics has the DOJ stepping in. [2]

Common Cause is monitoring the issue closely, but we need to know where members like you stand:

John, voter bribery is illegal because it threatens the very foundation of our democracy. “One person, one vote” means nothing if a billionaire can buy influence and sway voters with his wealth.

We’re seeing more and more wealthy elites using their fortunes to interfere in our elections. In fact, 2024 is projected to be the most expensive election ever, with spending expected to exceed $15.9 billion. [3]

Even though the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling opened the floodgates for billions to flood our elections, bribing voters remains illegal. And Musk’s latest stunt may have crossed that line. Despite trying to backtrack on some aspects of the lottery, it’s still only available to voters in key battleground states. [1]

Our democracy rests on the principle that every vote counts equally, and we cannot let financial power tilt the scales.

Thanks for all that you do,

Aaron Scherb, Senior Director of Legislative Affairs
and the team at Common Cause

[1] https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/23/politics/elon-musk-justice-department-letter/index.html
[2] https://www.vox.com/politics/378912/musk-trump-voting-contest-million-dollars-swing-state-lottery-pennsylvania
[3] https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2024/10/total-2024-election-spending-projected-to-exceed-previous-record/