‘For every person you refer who is a swing state voter, you get $47,’ Musk says on X.
Elon Musk’s America PAC is offering supporters $47 for each registered voter they get to sign a petition saying they will support the First and Second Amendments.
On his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, he encouraged followers to sign the America PAC (political action committee) pledge and make referrals.
“For every person you refer who is a swing state voter, you get $47! Easy money,” Musk said on X, reposting a remark made by conservative commentator Jack Posobiec.
For every person you refer who is a swing state voter, you get $47! Easy money. https://t.co/5jCNuXIaui
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 7, 2024
The petition isn’t asking anyone to vote on Election Day in November, and neither is it asking people to register to vote. Instead, according to the America PAC’s website, it has a goal to get 1 million registered voters in “swing states to support the Constitution,” namely freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.
“This program is exclusively open to registered voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina,” it reads, referring to the seven swing states that presidential nominees former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are vying to win in next month’s election.
It then asks individuals to enter their first and last names, email addresses, phone numbers, and mailing addresses.
Other than running the signature drive, the America PAC states on its website that it is paying $30 per hour for work that includes “increasing voter registration and voter turnout,” noting that bonuses are also available.
Under federal law, it is prohibited for individuals to pay or offer to pay someone to register to vote or vote.
According to a Department of Justice research note published in 2001, the law “applies to primaries and elections that have candidates on the ballot for the office of president, vice president, presidential elector, or member of Congress, whether or not the violation alleges payment related to a candidate for one of those particular offices. It includes criminal penalties for violations.”
Earlier in 2024, the Biden administration said it would pay college students to help register voters via the Federal Work-Study Program, which drew criticism from several Republican lawmakers at the time.
