The political action committee run by the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is once again offering payouts to voters who indicate they are aligned with Musk politically — or at least willing to say so for cash.
America PAC is offering $100 to each eligible Wisconsin voter who signs a petition against “activist judges,” echoing Musk’s highly controversial earlier scheme to award $1 million checks to a handful of lucky voters who indicated they were aligned with President Donald Trump before the November election.
“Judges should interpret laws as written, not rewrite them to fit their personal or political agendas,” the new petition reads. “By signing below, I’m rejecting the actions of activist judges who impose their own views and demanding a judiciary that respects its role — interpreting, not legislating.”
The language of the petition mimics complaints that Trump and administration officials have voiced repeatedly in recent weeks as their attempts to justify some of their actions in court have gone poorly. Judges have the power to evaluate executive actions and legislation in a process known as judicial review.
The legality of Musk’s cash-for-signature effort remains highly controversial, even if at least one judge has given it the green light.
Musk and Republicans are heavily invested in the Wisconsin race to elect a new judge to sit on the state’s supreme court that is now underway with early voting. The winner will determine whether the court retains its liberal majority or flips conservative, predicting the future of abortion rights for Wisconsinites and how the state will handle future elections, among other hot-button issues.
Wisconsin’s Election Day is April 1 — which is also the last day of Musk’s promotion.
The state swung for Trump in the 2024 presidential election by a margin of less than one point.
In the fall, voters in select swing states around the country were told they would be entered into an America PAC sweepstakes to win $1 million if they signed a petition in support of the First Amendment.
The scheme was challenged in court in Pennsylvania, but a judge there ultimately allowed the contest to go forward, even though Musk’s PAC admitted to hand-selecting the winners based on whether they were likely to be good pro-Trump spokespeople. Musk had previously told the public that the winners would be chosen at random.
The contest led to other lawsuits and heated accusations that Musk was attempting to bribe voters.
