A Wisconsin nonprofit organization focused on fighting for fair elections has filed a legal complaint alleging that billionaire Elon Musk illegally bribed voters by giving out cash prizes this year in his attempt to help conservatives take control of the swing state’s Supreme Court.
The complaint, provided to The Washington Post by lawyers representing the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and two Wisconsin voters, claims that Musk, his America PAC and a Musk-linked entity known as United States of America Inc. violated the state’s election law in “a brazen scheme to bribe Wisconsin citizens to vote.”
The complaint stems from actions of the Tesla and SpaceX CEO ahead of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election this spring, when he handed out $1 million checks to Wisconsin voters and when his super PAC, America PAC, paid registered voters $100 each for signing petitions and providing their contact information.
State law, the complaint notes, bars offering or giving “any amount of money over $1” to induce anyone to go to the polls, vote or vote for a particular person. The complaint also claims the actions violated the state’s prohibition on unauthorized lotteries.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that the conduct broke state law and to bar Musk and the defendants from replicating such conduct in future Wisconsin elections. They are also asking the court to award damages “to the extent supported by law.”
