Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk could be in for a confrontation with law enforcement if he follows through on a planned visit to Wisconsin on Sunday.
On Friday, Madison, Wisconsin ABC affiliate WKOW reported that Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul was announcing "legal action" against the South African centibillionaire after he offered a $2 million cash prize to Badger State voters on his X account. Kaul didn't elaborate on what specific "legal action" he intended to take, but only that it involved asking the state's courts to intervene to stop Musk from paying voters in Wisconsin's April 1 Supreme Court election between GOP-backed Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel and Democratic-backed Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. Musk said in a now-deleted tweet that he would be handing out two checks for $1 million apiece to registered voters at an upcoming event in Wisconsin, but has since stated that the $1 million prizes would instead be for those who signed a petition against "activist judges."
"The Wisconsin Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that elections in Wisconsin are safe, secure, free, and fair. We are aware of the offer recently posted by Elon Musk to award a million dollars to two people at an event in Wisconsin this weekend," Kaul stated. "Based on our understanding of applicable Wisconsin law, we intend to take legal action today to seek a court order to stop this from happening."
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University of California-Los Angeles law professor Rick Hasen wrote on his election law blog that in Wisconsin, it is a felony under state's "election bribery" statute 12.11(1m)(a)(2) to offer money in exchange for anything involving the voting process — whether for or against a candidate, or to show up at the polls, or to not cast a ballot at all.
On Bluesky, University of South Carolina political science professor acknowledged that it was "big" for Kaul to announce that he was taking action against the world's wealthiest man. He noted that "Trump cannot pardon his buddy Musk over a state felony." Others remarked that there are much stiffer penalties on the books elsewhere for lesser offenses. Doug Lindner, who is the senior director of judiciary and democracy at the League of Conversation Voters, reminded his followers that "Georgia Republicans made it a crime to give voters water while they stand in 11-hour lines."
"I know teachers/professors who’ve been punished for offering extra credit to vote in an election if eligible," Xavier University associate professor Andrew Zolides wrote on Bluesky.
"Elon Musk has committed a blatant felony by offering money for votes in order to help Brad Schimel," wrote Wisconsin Democratic Party chairman Ben Wikler. "This is a chainsaw attack on democracy and the rule of law. Musk should be brought to justice immediately."
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Click here to read WKOW's full article.