A bipartisan Wisconsin elections panel has found that billionaire Elon Musk likely violated state law when he distributed $1 million checks to voters before the 2025 state supreme court election. The Wisconsin Elections Commission, composed of three Democrats and three Republicans, voted 5-1 to refer two complaints against Musk to the Brown County district attorney.
Probable cause of bribery
Commission spokesperson Emilee Miklas confirmed to the Associated Press that the panel determined probable cause that the cash handouts broke Wisconsin's election bribery laws. The complaints, filed by voters in Milwaukee and Green Bay, remain confidential under state law.
Wisconsin law prohibits anyone from offering, giving, or promising anything of value to induce an elector to vote or refrain from voting. Musk's payments, made at a Green Bay town hall on March 30, 2025, targeted three voters, including two who received checks in person.
Musk's election intervention
Musk had claimed the state supreme court race was critical to Donald Trump's agenda and "the future of civilization." Wisconsin's Democratic attorney general attempted to block the handouts minutes before the rally, but the state supreme court unanimously refused to hear the case.
In the 2025 election, Musk and allied groups spent over $20 million supporting conservative candidate Brad Schimel. Schimel lost by 10 percentage points to Democratic-backed candidate Susan Crawford.
Similar tactics in 2024
Musk employed a comparable strategy before the 2024 presidential election. His political action committee, America PAC, offered $100 to voters who signed a petition opposing "activist judges." The PAC also ran a daily $1 million giveaway in battleground states for voters signing a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments.
