Judge rules Elon Musk can continue to donate $1m to voters as lawyer confesses winners are not chosen randomly

According to a judge’s ruling, Elon Musk can continue to give away $1 million to voters in key battleground states, with the acknowledgment that the winners are not chosen randomly.

Musk, a supporter of Republican candidate Donald Trump, initiated the giveaways through America PAC, his political action committee (PAC).

So far, $16 million has been distributed in the initiative, which is available to registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. These voters must sign a petition pledging their support for free speech and gun rights.

Judge Angelo Foglietta in Pennsylvania ruled on Monday that the giveaways could proceed, dismissing a district attorney’s request to halt the program due to alleged violations of state election law.

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Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, criticized the giveaways as “political marketing masquerading as a lottery” and labeled it a “grift.”

Krasner’s lawyer called the initiative a “scam” intended to influence a national election.

Although Judge Foglietta did not provide detailed reasoning for his decision, Chris Gober, representing America PAC, conceded that the winners are not selected randomly but are chosen based on their ability to advocate for the group’s values, contradicting Musk’s assertion of random selection.

Gober mentioned that the final two winners before the presidential election on Tuesday will be announced in Arizona and Michigan.

He clarified that the recipients “are not chosen by chance” and stated, “We know exactly who will be announced as the recipient today and tomorrow.”

Chris Young, the director of America PAC, mentioned that recipients are screened in advance to ensure alignment with the group’s values.

In defense, Musk’s legal team argued that the initiative constitutes “core political speech” as participants are required to endorse the US Constitution through a petition.

Musk’s lawyers dismissed any legal attempts to halt the program under Pennsylvania law, stating that no more winners from Pennsylvania will be selected before the program concludes.

When announcing the initiative on October 19 in the state, Musk stated that they would be “awarding a million dollars randomly to people who have signed the petition every day until the election.”

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In a social media post the following day, which was presented in court, Musk claimed that anyone signing the petition had “a daily chance of winning one million dollars!”

Musk was absent from the court hearing.