Elon Musk May Have Violated Election Bribery Laws, Wisconsin Board Finds
The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted Friday to send two complaints to prosecutors alleging Elon Musk violated state election laws by writing checks to voters last year, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported—after Musk invested tens of millions of dollars to support failed conservative candidate Brad Schimel.
The commission voted 5-1 finding probable cause Musk violated the state’s election bribery statute when he offered money to people who voted in the 2025 election.
Musk’s America PAC gave $1 million to two Wisconsin voters in April last year as part of a giveaway to voters who signed his “Petition in Opposition to Activist Judges,” with other prizes ranging from $20 to $100.
Musk characterized the winners of the $1 million prizes as “spokesmen” for his America PAC’s effort after he was criticized for saying initially he would award voters who had already cast ballots.
It’s unclear how the prizes were awarded, though America PAC said winners of a previous giveaway during the November 2024 election were selected based on their ability to be good spokespeople for the group, and one of the winners of the 2025 contest, Nicholas Jacobs, was involved in Republican politics.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission found probable cause Musk violated state election law when he posted on X offering $1 million to “individuals who voted in the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court Election in order to induce them to vote in that election.”
Forbes has reached out to Musk, who has not responded publicly to the referral.
Musk supported Schimel, a former attorney general under former Gov. Scott Walker, because he believed a Republican-dominated Wisconsin Supreme Court would do more to “prevent voting fraud,” he said. President Donald Trump also campaigned for Schimel, who is staunchly MAGA. The race was widely viewed as a litmus test of Trump’s early second-term agenda, which was driven largely by Musk. At the time, Tesla had recently filed a lawsuit seeking to open dealerships within the state. Musk gave more than $20 million to groups backing Schimel, making it the most expensive judicial election in history. Schimel lost to liberal Justice Susan M. Crawford by 10 percentage points.
The liberal-leaning state Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Josh Kaul ahead of the spring 2025 election to block Musk from awarding the $1 million checks. The liberal firm Law Forward also filed a lawsuit against Musk accusing him of violating the election bribery law. That lawsuit is pending. Voters filed a class action lawsuit against America PAC over its giveaway in the 2024 presidential election after the PAC admitted it did not choose the winners at random, arguing they were defrauded to believe they would have a chance at the winnings if they signed the PAC’s petition. A judge ordered Musk last month to testify under oath in that lawsuit.
Elon Musk’s PAC Gave $1 Million To College Republican Leader In Wisconsin Giveaway—Why That Might Not Be A Coincidence (Forbes)