Wisconsin’s top law enforcement official has sued Elon Musk over alleged voter bribery tied to million-dollar giveaways ahead of a key state Supreme Court race.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit Friday against tech billionaire Elon Musk and his political committee, America PAC, seeking to block what Kaul alleged was an “egregious” and illegal scheme to sway voters days before a pivotal state Supreme Court election.
Kaul’s complaint, filed in Dane County Circuit Court on March 28, targets Musk’s announcement that two Wisconsin voters would be picked to receive $1 million each at a Sunday event—on the condition that they vote in the April 1 election. The high-stakes election will determine whether the high court remains a 4–3 liberal majority or flips to a conservative majority.
In a since-deleted post on social media on March 27, Musk wrote: “I will also personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote. This is super important.”
Musk later clarified his plans in a new post on X on March 28.
“On Sunday night, I will give a talk in Wisconsin,” Musk wrote. “To clarify a previous post, entrance is limited to those who have signed the petition in opposition to activist judges. I will also hand over checks for a million dollars to 2 people to be spokesmen for the petition.”
According to Kaul’s lawsuit, Musk’s March 27 post violated a Wisconsin Statute that prohibits offering financial incentives to cast a vote. The Wisconsin attorney general is seeking emergency relief to block the payouts, arguing that Musk’s plan violates state election laws.
“Musk’s announcement of his intention to pay $1 million to two Wisconsin electors who attend his event on Sunday night, specifically conditioned on their having voted in the upcoming April 3, 2025, Wisconsin Supreme Court election, is a blatant attempt to violate Wis. Stat. § 12.11,” the complaint states. “This must not happen.”
The lawsuit notes that Musk’s since-deleted post had garnered over 19 million views before it was taken down and was widely reported by the news media. While the complaint acknowledges that Musk removed the first post, it notes that, as of Friday afternoon, neither Musk nor America PAC had issued a statement rescinding the initial payout offer.
By Tom Ozimek
