Musk faces scrutiny over $1 million payments to Wisconsin voters

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is facing fresh legal scrutiny after Wisconsin election officials concluded there is probable cause to believe he may have violated state election laws by offering million-dollar payments to voters during the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission, made up of both Democratic and Republican members, voted to refer two complaints to the Brown County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors will now examine the evidence and decide whether criminal charges should be filed. Under Wisconsin law, the district attorney has 40 days to report back to the commission.

The case centers on Musk’s actions during the highly contested state Supreme Court election. Just days before voters went to the polls, Musk attended a political rally in Green Bay, where he personally handed $1 million checks to selected voters. He had also announced on social media that million-dollar payments would be awarded during the election period.

Election officials believe the payments may have been intended to encourage people to vote, raising concerns that they could violate Wisconsin’s laws prohibiting election bribery. The commission said there was enough evidence to justify referring the matter for criminal review.

Musk played a major role in the Wisconsin judicial race. Through his personal contributions and organizations supporting him, more than $20 million was reportedly spent backing Republican-supported candidate Brad Schimel. Despite the heavy financial support, Schimel lost the election by 10 percentage points to Democratic-backed candidate Susan Crawford.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court election became the most expensive judicial election in US history, with overall campaign spending exceeding $100 million.

In addition to the million-dollar giveaways, Musk’s political action committee, America PAC, launched another campaign before the election. The organization offered $100 to registered voters who signed a petition opposing what it called “activist judges” or referred others to sign the petition.

The controversy has already resulted in multiple legal challenges. A government watchdog organization has filed a lawsuit seeking to permanently prevent Musk from offering cash incentives to Wisconsin voters in future elections. The lawsuit alleges that the payments violated state election bribery laws, amounted to an unauthorized lottery, and represented unlawful political conduct.

Before the election, Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney general also attempted to block Musk from distributing the checks. However, state courts declined to stop the payments, allowing the event to proceed.

Musk’s lawyers have defended the giveaways, arguing they are protected under the constitutional right to free speech. They insist the payments were designed to encourage public participation and support for constitutional principles rather than persuade people to vote for a particular candidate.

A similar strategy was used by Musk’s political action committee during the 2024 US presidential election. At that time, the organization offered daily $1 million prizes to registered voters in several battleground states who signed petitions supporting the First and Second Amendments. A Pennsylvania judge ruled that prosecutors had failed to prove the program was an illegal lottery, allowing it to continue through Election Day.