Elon Musk could face prison”/>
In the run-up to the US presidential election, both sides are actively seeking to motivate voters who may be left out of the running between the candidates. Some of these stimulus efforts have already come close to the line of federal vote-buying bans, and it looks like Donald Trump supporter Elon Musk may be breaking that law. Slate writes about this, Day.Az reports with reference to Gazeta.ru.
Federal law prohibits payments or expenditures to induce voting, regardless of whether the inducement is limited to those likely to vote for a particular candidate. Musk offered free admission to his speeches, but only to those who voted in Pennsylvania, which could be considered a violation of the law.
This election has seen more efforts to boost turnout through payments to voters, but most remain on the legal side. Musk had previously offered $47 payouts for signing a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments, which was legal because no one was paid to vote.
The Cards Against Humanity program offered $100 payments to those who did not vote in 2020 and wrote an apology for not voting and made a plan to vote. However, the requirement to make a “voting plan” may make people think they have to register to vote in order to receive the money.
Musk appears to have finally crossed the line by offering free admission to his speeches only to those who vote in Pennsylvania. At least that’s what Slate thinks. This may be considered a violation of federal law, since the ticket to meet him is a valuable item. Breaking the law can result in a year or more in prison or other penalties.