Billionaire Elon Musk has increased his financial incentive for registered voters in swing states to sign a conservative petition. At a town hall event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, he announced that his pro-Trump super PAC would award $1 million to a randomly chosen signer every day until the election.
Musk initially introduced the petition and referral program in early October through his America PAC, which supports the First and Second Amendments of the Constitution. This week, the incentive for registered voters in Pennsylvania was raised from $47 to $100, culminating in the announcement of the $1 million giveaway.
Musk stated that he aims to gather between 1 million and 2 million signatures from voters in battleground states, emphasizing the importance of sending a message to politicians about these critical areas. The giveaway applies to anyone in a battleground state who signs the petition.
During the event, Musk presented the first check to a surprised man from the audience, who received a warm reception. Musk noted that the only requirement for the recipient is to serve as a spokesperson for the petition.
The man who received the check expressed his gratitude to Musk, calling himself a “big fan.”
Musk acknowledged that Saturday’s announcement was aimed at getting “legacy media” to cover the petition. Following a pro-Trump town hall event in Pennsylvania on Thursday, where he promoted a discredited voter fraud conspiracy theory, he announced on X that he was increasing the financial incentive for Pennsylvanians signing the petition from $47 to $100.
In his post, Musk stated, “If you’re a registered Pennsylvania voter, you and whoever referred you will now get $100 for signing our petition in support of free speech and the right to bear arms.”
Musk stated that checks for the new offer will be mailed to the addresses of registered voters in Pennsylvania. For the original offer, he promised to send a check to anyone who refers a registered voter in swing states to sign the petition.
He also mentioned that the deadline for signing the petition is Monday night, coinciding with the closing of voter registration in Pennsylvania.
The program seems to navigate around campaign finance laws, which prohibit paying individuals to register to vote, since the payments are for signing the petition and referring others to do the same, rather than for registration itself.
Despite initially claiming to be apolitical, Musk, the world’s richest person, has recently become an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump, urging swing state voters in Pennsylvania to back him. He stated on Thursday that the upcoming 2024 election could determine the “fate of America” and “the fate of Western civilization.”
Since taking over X, formerly known as Twitter, Musk has shifted toward supporting conservative causes. Over the summer, he endorsed Trump and has increased his backing for the candidate. Recent reports indicate that Musk has contributed $75 million to his own pro-Trump super PAC.
Musk attended a campaign rally with Trump in Pennsylvania and plans to host additional town halls in the state, which he considers crucial for the upcoming election, until Monday.
A spokesperson for the Harris campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Musk’s million-dollar giveaway.
On X, where Musk has over 200 million followers, he has frequently promoted false and controversial claims related to immigration, free speech, and voter fraud. His America PAC has also funded ads on Facebook and Instagram aimed at voter registration in swing states. In August, the PAC collected voter data but only directed certain zip codes to an official voter registration site, sparking controversy. Election officials in Michigan and North Carolina looked into whether the website was misleading voters, although Michigan concluded that there was no evidence of violations of state campaign finance laws.