DOJ warned Elon Musk about his $1 million voting sweepstakes in swing states: reports

• The DOJ warned Elon Musk astir his $1 cardinal voting sweepstakes, CNN and The New York Times reported.
• The gambit is portion of Musk's efforts to mobilize swing-state voters.
• Election rule experts antecedently told Business Insider nan title was legally dubious.

Elon Musk's efforts to mobilize swing-state voters via a $1 cardinal sweepstakes has nan US Department of Justice watching.

The agency precocious sent a missive to Musk's America ace PAC informing that nan title could break national law, CNN and The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing group briefed connected nan matter. The 24Sight newsletter was first to study nan news.

Neither Musk nor nan DOJ instantly responded to Business Insider's petition for comment.

At a Pennsylvania rally connected Saturday, nan Tesla CEO announced that he would springiness distant $1 cardinal each time done his PAC to plaything authorities voters who signed a petition that affirms support for state of reside and nan correct to carnivore arms.

Paying group to registry to ballot is against nan law, and violations of nan rule are punishable by fines of up to $10,000 aliases imprisonment of up to 5 years, BI antecedently reported.

The DOJ has sent akin informing letters to different businesses that person publicized voting promotions, The Times reported Tuesday.

Several predetermination rule experts told BI earlier this week that Musk's latest gambit could spell ineligible trouble for nan billionaire, who has thrown his support down erstwhile President Donald Trump.

Rick Hasen, an predetermination rule professor astatine nan University of California, Los Angeles, antecedently told Business Insider that nan lottery could group "a very bad precedent," truthful he hopes nan DOJ "would see doing something."

"If Musk tin do this, I deliberation we will spot galore much payments and schemes for illustration this successful nan future, upping nan ante and changing nan quality of our elections into ones wherever group attraction connected individual financial incentives alternatively than their champion determination of whether and really to vote," Hasen said.

Matthew Alvarez, a partner astatine Rutan and Tucker, a rule patient specializing successful predetermination rule matters, told Business Insider that, while nan payments whitethorn not beryllium wholly legal, it's improbable Musk will look criminal penalties for his actions.

Alvarez added that Musk could beryllium looking to prime a conflict pinch nan DOJ because nan "optics" could use Musk and nan Trump campaign.

"The DOJ going aft personification for encouraging governmental information whitethorn very good beryllium a conflict that personification for illustration Elon Musk wants," Alvarez said. "You know, 'Look astatine them coming aft us. We're conscionable trying to thief group vote. We're conscionable trying to get group registered,' right? That's a communicative location that astatine slightest sounds bully successful general."

Musk has already poured astir $75 cardinal into his America ace PAC.